The Karakoram Highway – Not just a road!

The Karakoram Highway – Not just a road!

Construction of this magnificent road began in 1966 and was completed in 1978. The total length of the Karakoram Highway is 1,300 km of which 887 km is in Pakistan and 413 km is in China. This highway starts from Hassan Abdal in Pakistan and passes through Haripur Hazara, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Besham, Dasu, Chilas, Jaglot, Gilgit, Hunza Nagar, Sust and Khanjrab Pass and reaches Kashgar in China.

The construction of this road took the world by surprise as for a while the world’s largest companies were unable to do so. A well-known European company had declared it impossible to build it after an aerial survey. Despite the dangers of severe weather, heavy snowfall, and landslides, the construction of this road is a miracle that Pakistan and China made possible together.

According to a survey, 810 Pakistanis and 82 Chinese lost their lives in its construction. According to the report, 8,000 tons of dynamite were used to cut the hard and rocky chest of the Karakoram Highway, and 30 million cusec meters of rocky mountains were cut down by its completion.

What is this highway? Just wonderful!
Sometimes charming, sometimes mysterious, sometimes calm, sometimes she would make noise, sometimes she would ask questions and sometimes she would answer …
This road contains hundreds of stories of love, hate, fear, backwardness, and progress !!

I read somewhere that

Revolution comes through thought and consciousness

But the Gilgit-Baltistan revolution came through the road.”
As you travel on the highway, your curiosity grows. Sometimes you are curious to see what is beyond the mountains, sometimes you are curious to know what it was like when it was not a road. How was Curiosity to hear the stories of people who have lived on the same roadside for centuries, sometimes curiosity to know the history of the Indus River, which falls on the rocks along the road !!

The starting point of the Karakoram Highway is in Hazara District, where the lush green scenery and lush valleys accompany you to “Thakot”. From Thakot, the Indus River flows along the Karakoram Highway to Jaglot, then turns towards Skardu.
After Thakot, the area of ​​Kohistan begins where the rivers flowing from far and wide play an important role in making the journey memorable and interesting. After Kohistan, the area of ​​Chilas begins which is an area consisting of rocky mountains. Chilas district is an important area of ​​Dia Mir. It is also called the gateway to Gilgit-Baltistan. Chilas can also be reached from Naran via Babu Sir Top. After Chilas, the Karakoram Highway starts to revolve around Nanga Parbat, and then comes the Raikot Bridge. This is the place from where jeeps are rented to go to Ferry Meadows and Nanga Parbat base camp.
After Raikot, the Nanga Parbat, the Indus River, and the Karakoram Highway form a beautiful combination that forces tourists to be quiet for a while.

After this the Gilgit division begins, after which the first important place comes to Jaglot. Another highlight of Jaglot is that the world’s three largest mountain ranges, the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram, converge here, and there is no place in the world where the three major ranges converge.

After Jaglot, the capital of the Northern Territories, Gilgit, begins, which is prominent due to its commercial, political, and social characteristics. Naltar, Ashkuman, Ghizr, Shindor, etc. are reached by jeep from here.
Beyond Gilgit begins the Nagar area, known as Raka Pushi Peak. You will get to see this beautiful and gigantic peak from place to place on the Karakoram Highway.

Nagar and Hunza are located on both sides of the Karakoram Highway. Coming here, the beauty of the Karakoram Highway is in its entirety. The “Passo Cones” is a perfect example of this.
The area of ​​Hunza and Nagar is very beautiful. High peaks, glaciers, waterfalls, and rivers are characteristic of this area. The prominent mountains of this region are Rakaposhi, Ultar, Batura, Kanyang Kush, Dastgil Sar, and Fasu.
There is also an artificial but very attractive lake called Ataabad which is 21 km long and was created by the fall of a mountain.

The Hunza region is known for its “slow” Pak-China trade and is a market for goods imported from China.
After the slowdown, the Karakoram Highway reaches Khanjarab, the last stop in Pakistan.
The area from Sast to Khanjrab is uninhabited, with rugged mountains and constant climbing. The Karakoram Highway at Khanjarab Pass has an elevation of 4,693 meters, which is why it is called the highest highway in the world. Khanjarab is home to some of the world’s most unique animals, including Marco Polo sheep, snow leopards, marmots, bears, yaks, markhors, and blue cows.

That is why Khanjarab has got the status of a national park.
On this road, you will see lush mountains as well as rocky and barren mountain ranges and gigantic snow peaks, the abundance of rivers, waterfalls, pastures, and glaciers including all kinds of geographical views that not only make your trip beautiful but also your heart. And have a profound effect on the brain.

The Karakoram Highway is not just a road
Rather, it is the eighth wonder of the world.

It is a treasure of civilization, it is a way out of backwardness, it is a tool to quench the thirst of thousands of tourists every year, and it is a symbol of love and friendship.