Lowari Pass (), or Lowari Top, (el. 10,230 ft.) is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

, connecting the regions of Chitral and Dir Upper within the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of

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# ...

. Lowari Pass is a relatively low pass, by far the lowest pass to enter Chitral. All the other are around 12,000 to 15,000 feet. Lowari Top experiences a seasonal closure due to heavy snow accumulation, rendering it impassable for vehicular transportation. This closure typically extends from the latter part of November to the ending days of May each year. The Pass entail inherent risks. A significant concern may be the imminent threat posed by deadly

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

, which can occur abruptly and without warning. This is dangerous, as there are high mountains on each side of Lowari Top. Several people traversing the Pass in winters become the victims of

fatalities. Their bodies are buried under the snow and it is only when the summer comes and the snow melts that their bodies are found. Nevertheless, Lowari Top remains popular because it is the shortest route from Chitral to

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 ...

. The other way would be down the Kunar River to

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 ...

through hostile Afghan territory or the much longer route across Shandur Top to Gilgit. Lowari Top crosses the Hindu Raj Mountains, a spur of the higher

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

. On the Chitral side of Lowari Top are the people of Ashret, who speak the Palula language and were assigned by the Mehtar of Chitral to be the guardians of Lowari Top. On the Dir side reside Khowars, some of whom make their living as porters carrying loads across Lowari Top. In 1954, the Mehtar of Chitral was killed when his airplane crashed into Lowari Top. The word "Top" is believed not to be the English word "top" but a word from an ancient language no longer spoken there. The Lowari Top is one of the four major mountain passes to enter Chitral. The others are the Dorah Pass from Badakshan in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, Shandur Top from Gilgit, and Broghol from the Wakhan Corridor in

. The Lowari Tunnel was constructed beneath Lowari Pass by Sambu, a South Korean company in 2009. However, the tunnel was abandoned shortly thereafter and has since fallen into disrepair. The tunnel is functional as of December 2019 and comprises over 8.5 Kilometres in length.

Books

* ''The Gilgit Game'' by John Keay (1985) * ''The Kafirs of the Hindukush'' (1896) Sir George Scott Robertson.

External links

*
Lowari Pass one of 10 most dangerous roads in Pakistan

References

{{Mountain passes of Pakistan Lower Chitral District Upper Dir District Mountain passes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hindu Raj