Terek Pass (elevation 3,710 m / 12,172 ft.) is a year-round
pass
Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to:
Places
*Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland
*Pass, Poland, a village in Poland
*El Paso, Texas, a city which translates to "The Pass"
* Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see Li ...
in the
Alay Mountains
The Alay or Alai Range (; ) is a mountain range that extends from the Tien Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan west into Tajikistan. It is part of the Pamir-Alay mountain system. The range runs approximately east to west. Its highest summit is Pik ...
in the
Osh Osh is a city in Kyrgyzstan. Osh or OSH may also refer to:
* Osh (food), in Tajik and Uzbek cuisines
* Osh (singer) (born 1995), English singer and rapper
* OSH, the IATA code for Wittman Regional Airport near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States ...
oblast of
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
. It was historically the principal pass to enter 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 ...
from West Turkestan. It is also known as Terek-Davan, Terek-Dawan, and Terek-Bavan pass.
Terek Pass lies on the principal medieval trading route from
Kashgar
Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...
, via
Irkeshtam
Erkeshtam, called Irkeshtam in Chinese and Dungan, or Erkech-Tam in Uyghur and Kyrgyz, is a border crossing between Kyrgyzstan and Xinjiang, China, named after a village on the Kyrgyz side of the border in southern Osh Region. The border cross ...
and
Osh Osh is a city in Kyrgyzstan. Osh or OSH may also refer to:
* Osh (food), in Tajik and Uzbek cuisines
* Osh (singer) (born 1995), English singer and rapper
* OSH, the IATA code for Wittman Regional Airport near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States ...
, to
Ferghana
Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of ...
and
Samarkand
Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
.
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...
crossed the pass to enter China, and it was used by
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
to enter central Asia.
See also
*
Geography of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked nation in Central Asia, with an area of 199,951 km². The national territory extends about from east to west and from north to south.
Kyrgyzstan is bordered on the east and southeast by China, on the north by Kazak ...
*
Geostrategy in Central Asia
Central Asia has long been a geostrategic location because of its proximity to the interests of several great powers and regional powers.
Strategic geography
Central Asia has had both the advantage and disadvantage of a central location between ...
References
Mountain passes of Kyrgyzstan
{{Kyrgyzstan-geo-stub