The Karakoram Highway(KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world.[1]It connectsTibetofChinaandPakistanacross theKarakorammountain range, through theKhunjerab Pass, located at365100N752540E, at an elevation of 4,693 metres (15,397ft).[2][3]Connecting China'sXinjiangregion with GilgitBaltistan region of Pakistan, the road is a populartourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is referred to as theEighth Wonder of the World[4][5][6]The Karakoram Highway is known informally as theKKHand within Pakistan officially as theN-35; within China, officially asChina National Highway 314(G314). It is also a part of theAsian HighwayAH4.Contents[hide] 1History 2The highway 2.1Pakistani section 2.2Chinese section 2.3Major towns 3Tourism 3.1Mountains and glaciers 3.2Rivers and lakes 3.3Rock art and petroglyphs 3.4Travel 3.5Bus service between Gilgit and Kashghar 4Weather 5See also 6References 7External linksHistory[edit]

Karakoram Highway route mapThe Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of Pakistan and China. It was started in 1959 and was completed and opened to the public in 1979. About 810 Pakistanis and about 200 Chinese workers lost their lives,[7]mostly inlandslidesand falls, while building the highway. The Chinese workers who died during the construction are buried in theChinese cemeteryin Gilgit. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancientSilk Road.On the Pakistani side, the road was constructed byFWO(Frontier Works Organisation), employing the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers. Recently, the Engineer-in-Chief's Branch of the Pakistani Army has completed a project documenting the history of the highway. The bookHistory of Karakoram Highwaywas written by Brigadier (Retired) Muhammad Mumtaz Khalid in two volumes. In the first volume the author discusses the land and the people, the pre-historic communication system in the Northern Areas, the need for an all-weather road link withGilgit, and the construction of Indus Valley Road. The second volume records events leading to the conversion of the Indus Valley Road to the Karakoram Highway, the difficulties in its construction, and the role of Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and their Chinese counterparts in its construction.[8]The highway[edit]

Jingle truckson Karakoram HighwayThe highway, connecting theGilgitBaltistanregion ofPakistani Kashmirto the ancientSilk Road, runs approximately 1,300km (810mi) fromKashgar, a city in theXinjiangregion of China, toAbbottabad, of Pakistan. An extension of the highway south west from Abbottabad, in the form ofN-35, meets the Grand Trunk Road,N-5atHassanabdal, Pakistan.The highway cuts through thecollision zonebetween theEurasianandIndian plates, whereChina,Tajikistan,Afghanistan, andPakistancome within 250 kilometres (160mi) of each other. Owing largely to the extremely sensitive state of theKashmirconflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram Highway has strategic and military importance to these nations, but particularly Pakistan and China.On June 30, 2006, amemorandum of understandingwas signed between the Pakistani Highway Administration and China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) to rebuild and upgrade the Karakoram Highway. According to SASAC, the width will be expanded from 10 to 30 metres (33 to 98ft), and its transport capacity will be increased three times its current capacity. In addition, the upgraded road will be designed to particularly accommodate heavy-laden vehicles and extreme weather conditions.China and Pakistan are planning to link the Karakoram Highway to the southern port ofGwadarinBalochistanthrough the Chinese-aidedGwadar-Dalbandinrailway, which extends toRawalpindi.Since 2 p.m. on January 4, 2010, the KKH has been closed in theHunza Valley, eliminating through traffic to China except by small boats. A massivelandslide15 kilometres (9.3mi) upstream from Hunza's capital ofKarimabadcreated the potentially unstableAttabad Lakewhich reached 22 kilometres (14mi) in length and over 100 metres (330ft) in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it finally began flowing over the landslide dam. The landslide destroyed parts of villages while killing many inhabitants. The subsequent lake displaced thousands and inundated over 20 kilometres (12mi) of the KKH including the 310 metres (1,020ft) long KKH bridge 4 kilometres (2.5mi) south ofGulmit.[9][10][11]It is highly questionable whether the lake, which reached 27 kilometres (17mi) in length in 2011, will drain. Goods from and to further north are transported over the lake by small vessels, to be reloaded onto trucks at the other end.[12]Pakistani section[edit]

Milestone near Besham inPakistan.At 806 kilometres (501mi) in length, the Pakistani section of the highway starts inAbbottabad, although theN-35of which KKH is now part, officially starts from Hassanabdal. The highway meets theIndus RiveratThakotand continues along the river untilJaglot, where theGilgit Riverjoins theIndus River. This is where three great mountain ranges meet: theHindukush, theHimalaya, and theKarakoram. The western end of the Himalayas, marked by the ninth highest peak in the world,Nanga Parbat, can be seen from the highway. The highway passes through the capital ofGilgitBaltistan,Gilgit, and continues through the valleys ofNagarandHunza, along theHunza River. Some of the highest mountains and famousglaciersin theKarakoramcan be seen in this section. The highway meets the Pakistani-Chinese border atKhunjerab Pass.Chinese section[edit]

The Karakoram Highway in theXinjiangregion ofChina.The Chinese section of the Karakoram Highway follows the north-south Sarykol ('Yellow Lake') valley just west of theTarim Basin. The road from Kashgar goes southwest about 80 kilometres (50mi) and then turns west to enter the Gez (Ghez) River canyon betweenChakragilmountain on the north andKongurmountain on the south. From the Gez canyon the population becomes Kirgiz. Having climbed up to the valley, the road turns south past Kongur,Karakul Lake, andMuztagh Ataon the east. Below Muztagh Ata, a new road goes west over theKulma Passto join thePamir HighwayinGorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. The main road continues over a low pass (where the population becomes Tajik) and descends toTashkurgan. Further south, a valley and jeep track leads west toward theWakhjir Passto theWakhan Corridor. Next the road turns west to a checkpost and small settlement atPirali, and then theKhunjerab Pass, beyond which is Pakistan, the Khunjerab River andHunza.

A bus accident on the KKH, August 2004Major towns[edit]

KKH near Passu inPakistan Besham Kohistan Chilas Gilgit Parri Bangla Danyore Goro[disambiguation needed] Nagar Aliabad Gulmit Passu Sost Tashkurgan Town,China Ghizer Upal Kashgar, Chineserailhead,1,435mm(4ft812in)gaugeTourism[edit]In recent years the highway has become anadventure tourismdestination. It was ranked as the third best tourist destination in Pakistan byThe Guardian.[13]The road has givenmountaineersandcyclistseasier access to the many high mountains, glaciers, and lakes in the area. The highway provides access toGilgitandSkardufromIslamabadby road. These are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in theGilgitBaltistanregion of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.[14]The GilgitBaltistan Administration of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Administration of China have signed an agreement to issue border passes to their permanent residents. This pass is valid for a calendar year and is used to travel through Khunjerab Pass only.Mountains and glaciers[edit]

KKH along theIndus River, 2001.Karakoram Highway provides the pathway to expeditions for almost all peaks inGilgitBaltistan, Kashmir and several peaks inXinjiangChina. The region includes some of the world's largest glaciers like theBaltoro Glacier. Five of theEight-thousanders(mountains taller than 8,000 metres (26,000ft)) of the world that are inPakistanare accessible by the highway. The notable mountains that can be directly seen while traveling on the highway are: Nanga Parbat,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan, 9th highest of the world at 8,126 metres (26,660ft) Rakaposhi,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan, 27th highest of the world at 7,788 metres (25,551ft) Diran,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan, most dangerous mountain inPakistan Shishpar,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan Ultar Peak,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan Tupopdan,GilgitBaltistan,Pakistan, also known as Cathedral Peaks nearPassu K2, famous for being the second highest mountain in the world afterMount EverestMany glaciers can be seen while traveling on the highway: Minapin Glacier Passu Glacier Ghulkin Glacier Khunjerab GlacierRivers and lakes[edit]

Karakoram Highway near JuglotSeveral rivers and lakes are made accessible by the highway. These include: Indus River Hunza River Gilgit River Khunjerab River Karakul LakeinXinjiang(China)Rock art and petroglyphs[edit]Main article:Northern Areas, Pakistan Rock art and petroglyphsThere are more than 50,000 pieces of rock art andpetroglyphsall along the highway that are concentrated at ten major sites betweenHunzaandShatial. The carvings were left by invaders, traders, andpilgrimswho passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between5000 BCand1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men, and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. Thesecarvingswere pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thickpatinathat yields their age.Travel[edit]There are several transport companies in Pakistan that offer bus service between major towns of the highway and fromRawalpindiandLahore. The largest company isNorthern Areas Transport Corporation(NATCO). Other companies are Masherbrum Travel, Silk Route Travel, K-2 movers, Anchan Travel, and Saeed Travel.Bus service between Gilgit and Kashghar[edit]On June 1, 2006, a daily bus service began betweenGilgit,GilgitBaltistan, andKashghar,Xinjiang, through theSustandTashkorganborder area.[15]Weather[edit]The KKH is best traveled in the spring or early autumn. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the highway down for extended periods. Heavymonsoonrains around July and August cause occasionallandslidesthat can block the road for hours or more. The border crossing betweenChinaandPakistanatKhunjerab Passis open only between May 1 and December 31.