The Iron Gate Pass connects the

Yanqi Basin Yanqi may refer to the following in China: ;Xinjiang * Karasahr (焉耆), ancient kingdom * Yanqi Hui Autonomous County (焉耆回族自治县), in Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture ;Elsewhere * Yanqi, Beijing (雁栖), in Huairou Dist ...

and the Tarim Basin in central Xinjiang,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The pass follows the gorge of the kaidu River. The main settlements linked by the pass are the town of Yanqi in the Yanqi Hui Autonomous County to the north and the city of Korla in the Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in the south. The first town immediately to the north of the pass is Tashidian. The Iron Gate Pass was of historical strategical significance because it formed a vulnerable bottle-neck on the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

. A military checkpoint was established at the pass during the Tang Dynasty. At present, the pass is no longer part of the road infrastructure of the region and is preserved as a scenic and historical area. The modern road ( G218) from Yanqi to Korla passes through the mountains to the east of the gorge. The gorge of the Iron Gate Pass is the setting of a legendary love story.Iron Gate Pass
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/ref> According to the legend, a princess of the Kingdom of Yanqi called Tzouhla had fallen in love with a poor herdsman named Tayir. The royal court opposed the relationship and a minister Karehan convinced the king to have Tayir killed. As the princess tried to rescue her lover from the king's soldiers, they both fell to their death in the gorge. A tumulus is said to mark the place where the two lovers were buried opposite to the gate to the pass.

References

{{Mountain passes of China Mountain passes of China Mountain passes of Xinjiang Sites along the Silk Road

See also

References