The Karakoram Highway (N-35) is a long highway connecting Pakistan with China. It is also called the Silk Road and KKH as well. It traverses the world’s great mountain ranges, the Karakoram and the Himalayas.
Why do we call Karakoram Highway the eight wonder of the world?
Because of its high elevation and the dangerous conditions under which it was constructed. The route is only accessible for several months per year because snowfall during long winters can close down the highway for prolonged periods and heavy monsoon rains during July and August can trigger frequent landslides that really can block traffic for days or longer.
Pakistan to China via Karakoram Highway
Traveling by road is the perfect way to explore the vibrant cultural landscape and most thrill-seekers and tourists tend to travel by road because it is the ideal way to examine the natural beauty of the landscapes.
Journey On Karakoram Highway
The tour from Pakistan to China via KKH should be the best journey of your life, as you will drive on the highest paved road by experiencing the exotic and beautiful landscapes on the 8th wonder of the world between the 3 greatest mountain ranges of the world, the Karakoram, the Himalayas and Hindukush
Karakoram Highway: Distance and travel time
So, getting to China’s Kashgar city from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad will take about 2 days or 48 hours. The total distance between Islamabad and China’s Kashgar City is 1300 kilometers.
KKH: The highest paved road
It is 4693 meters above sea level at Khunjerab Pass. It links the northern parts of Pakistan with the Chinese province of Xinjiang. It is the highest international highway in the world. It passes through Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit, Chilas, Dasu, Besham, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Hazara and joins GT Road at Hassan Abdal.
The eighth wonder of the world
Karakoram Highway is built in a difficult mountainous area, so it is also called the eighth wonder of the world. It was completed in 1986 over a period of 20 years. It was built jointly by Pakistan and China. A total of 810 Pakistanis and 82 Chinese gave their lives while building it.
The great Karakoram Highway
Silk Road or Karakoram Highway has been an important highway since ancient times, due to which many Chinese goods reached other parts of the world because these goods had a special kind of silk, hence the name of this highway. The Silk Road had fallen, When Chinese goods began to reach the Persian Gulf by sea, the highway gradually closed.
Rebuilding the Highway
After the establishment of Pakistan, when the inseparable ties of friendship were established between the People’s Republic of China and Pakistan, the question of rebuilding this highway also came up.
On May 3, 1962, the two friendly countries signed an agreement that restored in 1969 the section of the Silk Road that extended to the northern border of Pakistan.
At the same time, the reconstruction of this ancient highway began and the location of the mansions at a distance of 62 miles from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, became the starting point of this highway. About 500 miles long, this great highway, called the Eighth Wonder of the World, was completed in 1978.
Inauguration of Karakoram Highway
Reconstruction of this great Karakoram Highway began on February 16, 1971, and was completed and inaugurated on June 18, 1978.
Pakistani army engineers and Chinese experts worked side by side to build the highway. The highway connects the Gilgit and Hunza areas with the Chinese province of Xinjiang via the Khunjerab Pass. It is 15,100 feet above sea level.
Read also: The Siachen Glacier of Baltistan, Pakistan
