Kilik Pass
High altitude border pass between Pakistan and China
title: "Kilik Pass" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountain-passes-of-china", "mountain-passes-of-xinjiang", "mountain-passes-of-the-karakoram", "sites-along-the-silk-road", "china–pakistan-border-crossings", "mountain-passes-of-gilgit-baltistan"] description: "High altitude border pass between Pakistan and China" topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilik_Pass" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary High altitude border pass between Pakistan and China ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain pass"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Kilik Pass |
| photo | Kilik pass near morkoshi pakistan.jpg |
| elevation | 4827 m |
| map | China Xinjiang Southern#China#Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan |
| map_caption | Location of the Kilik Pass within the greater Karakoram region |
| label_position | bottom |
| location | China–Pakistan border |
| range | Karakorum Mountains |
| coordinates | |
| mapframe | yes |
| mapframe-zoom | 6 |
| mapframe-wikidata | yes |
| :: |
| name = Kilik Pass | photo = Kilik pass near morkoshi pakistan.jpg | photo_caption = | elevation = 4827 m | elevation_ref = | map = China Xinjiang Southern#China#Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan | map_caption = Location of the Kilik Pass within the greater Karakoram region | label_position = bottom | location = China–Pakistan border | range = Karakorum Mountains | coordinates = | topo = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 6 | mapframe-wikidata = yes | t = 基里克達坂 | s = 基里克达坂 | p = jīlǐkè dábǎn | s2 = 克里克山口 | t2 = 克里克山口 | p2 = kèlǐkè shānkǒu | uig = كىلىك ئېغىزى | lang1 = Urdu | lang1_content =
The Kilik Pass (elevation 4827 m; ; ) to the west of Mintaka Pass is a high mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains between Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. The two passes were, in ancient times, the two main access points into the Upper Hunza Valley (also called Gojal Valley) from the north. In addition, the two passes were also the paths used to reach Chalachigu Valley and Taghdumbash Pamir from the south.
History
In ancient times, Mintaka Pass and Kilik Pass were the shortest and quickest way into northern India from the Tarim Basin, and one that was usually open all year, but was extremely dangerous and only suited for travellers on foot. From Tashkurgan one travelled just over 70 km south to the junction of the Minteke River, modern day Chalachigu River. Heading some 80 km west up this valley one reached the Mintaka Pass, (and 30 km further, the alternative Kilik Pass), which both led into upper Hunza from where one could travel over the infamous rafiqs or "hanging passages" to Gilgit and on, either to Kashmir, or to the Gandharan plains.{{Cite book | last = Hill | first = John E. | title = The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu | section = Section 20 The Kingdom of Suoche 莎車 (Yarkand). | section-url= https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/hhshu/notes20.html | publisher = University of Washington | date = September 2003 | access-date = 2017-02-07 | url = https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/hhshu/hou_han_shu.html
Laden animals could be taken over the Mintaka and Kilik passes into upper Hunza (both open all year), but then loads would have to be carried by coolie (porters) to Gilgit (an expensive and dangerous operation). From there, cargoes could be reloaded onto pack animals again and taken either east to Kashmir and then on to Taxila (a long route), or west to Chitral which provided relatively easy access to either Jalalabad, or Peshawar via Swat.
The Mintaka Pass was the main one used in ancient times until the fairly recent advance of glacier ice. After the glaciation of the Mintaka Pass, the Kilik Pass was favoured by caravans coming from China and Afghanistan as it is wider, free of glaciers and provided enough pasture for caravan animals.{{Cite web | title = Historical Kilik and Mintika Pass | website = www.gojal.net | year = 2006 | access-date = 2017-02-02 | url = http://www.gojal.net/mintika.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141018092634/http://www.gojal.net/mintika.htm | archive-date = 2014-10-18
The "Sacred Rock of Hunza" has numerous petroglyphs depicting mounted horseman and ibex along with Kharoshthi inscriptions that mention Saka and Pahlava rulers. Historians assess that Maues must have used the Karakorum route via Mintaka or Kilik passes to capture Taxila in the first century BCE.
During the 1890s, the British established outposts near the pass as part of the Great Game against Russia. The area was surveyed and Kilik Pass was deemed easily defensible in the event of a Russian invasion. This likely influenced the boundary delineation in the area.
Current status
Since the construction of the new Karakoram Highway further south over the Khunjerab Pass, the pass has fallen out of use. As of late 2010s, on the Pakistani side, there are some trekking companies that offer tours to Kilik Pass.{{Cite web | title = Treks / Kilick | author = Nisar Ali Rozi | publisher = Hunza Adventure Tours | access-date = 2017-02-07 | url = http://www.hunzaadventuretours.net/trek-kilick.html | archive-date = 2017-01-20 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170120131749/http://hunzaadventuretours.net/trek-kilick.html | url-status = dead
Footnotes
References
- (1963-03-02). "中华人民共和国政府和巴基斯坦政府关于中国新疆和由巴基斯坦实际控制其防务的各个地区相接壤的边界的协定".
- Puri, B. N.. (1996). "History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume II: The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to AD> 250". UNESCO Publishing.
- (1895). "Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year ...". D. Appleton & Company.
- Sir Norman Lockyer. (1899). "Nature". Macmillan Journals Limited.
- Parshotam Mehra. (1992). "An "agreed" frontier: Ladakh and India's northernmost borders, 1846-1947". Oxford University Press.
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