The Kilik Pass (elevation ; ; ) to the west of
Mintaka Pass is a high mountain pass in the
Karakorum Mountains between
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...
in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and
Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. The two passes were, in ancient times, the two main access points into the Upper
Hunza Valley (also called
Gojal Valley) from the north. In addition, the two passes were also the paths used to reach
Chalachigu Valley and
Taghdumbash Pamir from the south.
History
In ancient times, Mintaka Pass and Kilik Pass were the shortest and quickest way into northern India from the
Tarim Basin
The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang, Northwestern China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, Ch ...
, and one that was usually open all year, but was extremely dangerous and only suited for travellers on foot. From
Tashkurgan one travelled just over south to the junction of the Minteke River, modern day
Chalachigu River. Heading some west up this valley one reached the Mintaka Pass, (and further, the alternative Kilik Pass), which both led into upper Hunza from where one could travel over the infamous ''rafiqs'' or "hanging passages" to
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
and on, either to Kashmir, or to the Gandharan plains.
Laden animals could be taken over the Mintaka and Kilik passes into upper
Hunza (both open all year), but then loads would have to be carried by
coolie
Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian people, Indian or Chinese descent.
The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th cent ...
(porters) to
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
(an expensive and dangerous operation). From there, cargoes could be reloaded onto
pack animal
A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is a working animal used to transport goods or materials by carrying them, usually on its back.
Domestic animals of many species are used in this way, among them alpacas, Bact ...
s again and taken either east to
Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
and then on to
Taxila
Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...
(a long route), or west to
Chitral which provided relatively easy access to either
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...
, or
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
via
Swat.
The Mintaka Pass was the main one used in ancient times until the fairly recent advance of glacier ice. After the glaciation of the Mintaka Pass, the Kilik Pass was favoured by caravans coming from China and Afghanistan as it is wider, free of glaciers and provided enough pasture for caravan animals.
The "
Sacred Rock of Hunza" has numerous
petroglyph
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s depicting mounted horseman and ibex along with Kharoshthi inscriptions that mention
Saka
The Saka, Old Chinese, old , Pinyin, mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit (Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, Eastern Iranian peoples who lived in the Eurasian ...
and
Pahlava rulers. Historians assess that
Maues must have used the Karakorum route via Mintaka or Kilik passes to capture
Taxila
Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...
in the first century BCE.
During the 1890s, the British established outposts near the pass as part of
the Great Game against Russia.
The area was surveyed and Kilik Pass was deemed easily defensible in the event of a Russian invasion.
This likely have influenced the boundary delineation in the area.
Current status
Since the construction of the new
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway (, ), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (), N-35, and the ChinaPakistan Friendship Highway, is a National Highways of Pakistan, national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab p ...
further south over the
Khunjerab Pass, the pass has fallen out of use. As of late 2010s, on the Pakistani side, there are some trekking companies that offer tours to Kilik Pass.
On the Chinese side, the entire valley around Kilik Pass is closed to visitors; however, local residents and herders from the area are permitted to access.
See also
*
China–Pakistan border
*
Beyik Pass
*
Tegermansu Pass
*
Wakhjir Pass
*
Mintaka Pass
*
Chalachigu Valley
*
Afghanistan–China_border
*
China–Tajikistan border
Footnotes
{{Mountain passes of Pakistan
Mountain passes of China
Mountain passes of Xinjiang
Mountain passes of the Karakoram
Sites along the Silk Road
China–Pakistan border crossings
Mountain passes of Gilgit-Baltistan