The Karakoram Highway (KKH) (Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم; Chinese: 喀喇昆仑公路) is the highest paved international road in the world.
The highway, originates from Havelian, about 100 kilometers from Islamabad (Capital of Pakistan), connecting Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan to Kashgar, a city in the Xinjiang region of China. The Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was blasted and bulldozed through an intractable landscape of furious rivers, deep gorges and sheer mountains in the 1960s and ’70s. It is a 1300 km marvel of engineering, around 810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese constructors died during the construction. Some say that due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the “Ninth Wonder of the World.” Karakoram Highway also known as Silk Road, as it traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Route. It is the highest border crossing in the world, over 4800 meters (roughly 16,000 feet) in the Khunjerab Pass at the border. For comparison, Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe, is 4810 m and Mount Whitney, the highest point in United States, is 4421. The notable places that can be directly seen while traveling on the highway are:
Indus River
Nanga Parbat, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, 9th highest Peak of the world at 8,126m
Gilgit River
Junction Point of the three Great Mountain Ranges - Karakorum, Himalaya and Hindu Kush
Rakaposhi, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, 27th highest Peak of the world at 7,788m
Diran, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, most dangerous mountain in Pakistan
Hunza River
Minapin Glacier
Passu Glacier
Cathedral Peaks near Passu
Ghulkin Glacier
Khunjerab National Park
Highest Border Crossing in the World
Karakul Lake in Xinjiang (China)
KKH & Indus River
Bridge on Indus River at KKH ( credit: Syed Suhaib)
This is the junction point of 'the three mightiest mountain ranges in the word'. The middle one is of course the Karakoram (black stone) range. The mountain on the left is part of the Hindu Kush range and the one on the right is part of the Himalaya
KKH, now became one of the identities of Gilgit-Baltistan. We pay homage to Pakistani and Chinese workers who rendered their precious lives in construction of this magnificent road.
KKH, now became one of the identities of Gilgit-Baltistan. We pay homage to Pakistani and Chinese workers who rendered their precious lives in construction of this magnificent road.
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