One of the paths of the ancient Silk Road is today called the Karakoram Highway or KKH. The dare-devils amongst you should find this 800 miles from China to Pakistan a fascinating drive . A video follows a short KKH fact sheet.
Our thanks to Mary Benson for sending this to us.
THE KARAKORAM HIGHWAY
The Karakoram Highway, extending from Pakistan to China – it is fast
becoming recognized as the 8th man-made wonder of the world. Known
informally as the KKH, it is the highest paved international road in
the world. I would not like to have to drive this road in the daytime,
let alone at night.
At its peak, near the China/Pakistan border, it is considered to be
one of the world’s hardest alpine climbs. The Karakorum Highway
connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range via
the Khunjerab Pass. It’s maximum elevation is 4,693 meters (15,397
feet) above sea level.
810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese workers lost their lives in landslides
and falls while building the highway.
The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk
Road, and has a total length of approximately 1,300 Km. (800 miles).
887 Km. (551 miles) in Pakistan and 413 Km. (257 miles) in China. It
was started in 1959, and completed 27 years later in 1986.