Torugart Pass (, , ; ; ) is a

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 ...

in the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

mountain range near the border between the

Naryn Region Naryn Region is the largest region of Kyrgyzstan. It is located in the east of the country and borders with Chüy Region in the north, Issyk-Kul Region in the northeast, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China in the southeast, Osh Region i ...

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 ...

and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of

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 ...

. It is one of two border crossings between Kyrgyzstan and China, the other being Erkeshtam, some to the southwest. The scenic lake

Chatyr-Köl Chatyr-Köl (, ) is an endorheic alpine lake in the Tian Shan mountains in At-Bashy District of Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan; it lies in the lower part of Chatyr-Köl Depression near the Torugart Pass border crossing into China. The name of the lak ...

lies near the pass on the Kyrgyz side. The road to Naryn and then to Balykchy and

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

—stretching for some —is narrow and in winter often impassable due to heavy snowfall and frequent

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 ...

s. On the Chinese side, the Torugart Port of Entry (吐尔尕特口岸), where travelers must clear for customs, is located about from the pass itself in Ulugqat County of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture. Distances from the pass to major cities are: to Ulugqat, to

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 ...

, to Artux and some to

Ürümqi Ürümqi, , is the capital of the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, also the ...

. The pass is also terminus of European route E125 and, under the new National Highway plans, the China National Highway 315, but neither are signed in this area by 2020.

History

The pass has been used since antiquity. During the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

it was under the jurisdiction of a micro-state called Juandu (). During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, the region came under Tang control as part of

Anxi Protectorate The Protectorate General to Pacify the West (Anxi Grand Protectorate), initially the Protectorate to Pacify the West (Anxi Protectorate), was a Protectorate (imperial China), protectorate (640 – ) established by the Chinese Tang dynasty in 640 ...

. The pass is open to all nationalities but clearance requires careful arrangement of transportation.

Planned railway

A going through Torugart Pass has been in the works that would connect

and the Ferghana Valley since 2012. The railway would lead from Kashgar to

Jalal-Abad Jalal-Abad (; ) is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 123,239 in 2021. It is situated at the north-eastern end of the Fergana valley along the Kög ...

and further on to the Uzbek city of

Andijan Andijan ( ), also spelt Andijon () and formerly romanized as Andizhan ( ), is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region. Andijan is a district-level city with an area of . Andijan is the most ...

. However, the Kyrgyz section of the rail has been stalled due to financial and technical issues and possibly due to Russian and Kazakh opposition to the project. In 2023, the project development received new push from the governments of the three countries involved. A tripartite agreement was signed on 17 September 2022 during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, although funding was yet to be secured at the time. An inaugural ceremony was held in

in December 2024 and construction is set to begin in July 2025.

Gallery

File:Seidenstrasse GMT Ausschnitt Zentralasien.jpg, The ancient silk road showing the general location of the pass File:Alma-Ata NK-43 (1948) - panoramio.jpg, Map of the region including the Torugart Pass (unlabelled; roads can be seen) ( AMS, 1948) File:Operational Navigation Chart F-6, 6th edition.jpg, Map of the region including the Torugart Pass (unlabelled; roads can be seen) ( DMA, 1985) File:E7967-Bishkek-West-Bus-Terminal-ticket-office.jpg, A ticket office at

's West Bus Terminal informs passengers about the schedule and route of the Bishkek-Artush-Kashgar bus traveling via Torugart Pass File:Torugart Road.jpg

Climate

References

{{Mountain passes of China Mountain passes of China Mountain passes of Xinjiang Transport in Xinjiang Mountain passes of Kyrgyzstan China–Kyrgyzstan border crossings Sites along the Silk Road Tian Shan

History

Planned railway

Gallery

Climate

See also

References