| Irkeshtam Pass | |
|---|---|
 Chinese border post at Erkeshtam | |
| Elevation | 2,950 m (9,678 ft) |
| Traversed by |  AH65 - G581 E60 - G3013 |
| Location |  Kyrgyzstan - China |
| Range | Pamir Range -Tian Shan |
| Coordinates | 39°41′N73°55′E / 39.68°N 73.91°E /39.68; 73.91 |
  Irkeshtam Pass  Irkeshtam Pass | |
 | |
Erkeshtam | |
|---|---|
 Trucks waiting to cross into China in the village of Erkeshtam | |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan |
| Region | Osh Region |
| Elevation | 3,005 m (9,859 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC +6 |
Erkeshtam, calledIrkeshtam inChinese andDungan, orErkech-Tam inUyghur andKyrgyz, is a border crossing betweenKyrgyzstan andXinjiang,China, named after a village on the Kyrgyz side of the border in southernOsh Region. The border crossing is also called Simuhana (斯姆哈纳), after the first settlement on the Chinese side of the border, but Erkeshtam is now the more common name used in both countries.
Erkeshtam is the westernmost border crossing in China. It is one of two border crossings between Kyrgyzstan and China, the other beingTorugart, some 165 km (103 mi) to the northeast.[1]
Erkeshtam Border Crossing is located about 230 kilometres (140 mi) west ofKashgar, 250 kilometres (160 mi) southeast ofOsh and 550 kilometres (340 mi) east ofDushanbe,Tajikistan. The crossing straddles the Erkeshtam Pass, a deep gorge where the southern flank of theTian Shan meets thePamir Mountains. The elevation of the gorge is approximately 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) above sea level.[2] The village of Erkeshtam is situated about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Kyrgyz-Chinese border. Both Erkeshtam and the village of Simuhana, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) on the Chinese side of the border, are situated along the riverEastern Kyzyl-Suu. Simuhana belongs toUlugqat County, under theKizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang.
The Erkeshtam Border Crossing controls the main trade routes between theTarim Basin to the east, and theAlay andFerghana Valleys to the west and north. On the Kyrgyz side of the border, the A371 road (now EM-05) goes west first over the Erkeshtam Pass (3,005 m) and then over the old Taunmurun (a.k.a. Taukmurun and Tongmurun) Pass (3,536 m) or now the New Silk Road Pass (3,760 m) into the Alay Valley. AtSary-Tash, the A371 (now EM-05) meets theM41 highway, which leads north through theTaldyk Pass (elevation 3,615 metres (11,860 ft) to Osh and theFerghana Valley. On the Chinese side of the border, theG3013 Kashgar–Irkeshtam Expressway runs east toKashgar and the Tarim Basin viaUlugqat. From the border till Kansu the road is labeled G581 and connects in Ulugqat to the G30, with 4,243 km Chinas longest expressway up to the Pacific Ocean.
Asian HighwayAH65, which runs fromTermez,Uzbekistan to Kashgar, China, passes through Erkeshtam. TheEuropean route E60, originating fromBrest,France, ends at Erkeshtam.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, a bus runs through the pass.[3]
Erkeshtam, being located at the natural dividing line between major geographic and cultural regions, has been an important border control point for millennia. It was known during theHan dynasty and theThree Kingdoms era (2nd third of the 3rd century CE) asJuandu (Chinese:捐毒;Wade–Giles:chüan-tu;lit. 'Tax Control').[4][5][6] According to theBook of Han, Juandu contained "380 households, 1,100 individuals and 500 persons able to bear arms" and the inhabitants were originally of theSai race, who wore the clothing of theWusun and followed "the water and pastures" and kept close to the "Ts'ung-ling" (Pamir Mountains).[7]
Erkeshtam is thought to be the Hormeterium (merchants' station) by historians whichPtolemy writes about in his treatiseGeography. Some researchers have gone further to suggest it is one of multiple possible locations which he refers to as theStone Tower. Ptolemy specifically stated that the Hormeterium lay 5 degrees further east.[8] The passage in theGeography where Ptolemy gives the coordinates for the Stone Tower is given below (it was under the control of Sai or Sakai people, and the Komedai referred to is probably the Alai Valley):[9]
In the territory of the Sakai there rises the already mentioned mountain region of the Komedai – the ascent to this mountain region of Sogdiana lies at 125° / 43°, the position of its terminal point near the ravine of the Komedai is at 130° / 39°; the so-called Stone Tower lies at 135° / 43°.
AfterTsarist Russia took control of Central Asia, the horse path from Osh to Erkestam was developed in 1893.[10]
In 1934,Khoja Niyaz, the titular leader of theFirst East Turkestan Republic (ETR) was driven outKashgar by theHuiwarlordMa Zhongying and retreated via Erkeshtam, where he signed an agreement that dissolved the ETR and pledged support forSheng Shicai's Soviet-backed government in Xinjiang.[11] Ma Zhongying also left Xinjiang for the Soviet Union via Erkeshtam.[11]
During Soviet times, the border post was named in honor of Andrei Bescennov, a frontier guard, who was killed in a clash with theBasmachi rebels in 1931.[10] Before 1952, Erkeshtam was a trading port between China and the Soviet Union.[12] For decades[quantify], the Erkeshtam Border Crossing was closed due topoor relations between theSoviet Union and China. On July 21, 1997, the border crossing was opened on a temporary basis.[13][12] On January 26, 1998, the border crossing was officially opened. Russian troops were stationed at the post until 1999.[10]
On May 20, 2002, Erkeshtam Port was officially opened.[12] In 2002, the border post processed 8,071 travelers, 7,066 vehicles and 76,000 tons of cargo.[13] In 2008, Erkeshtam processed 58,900 travelers and 520,000 tons of cargo.[2] In December 2011, the customs office on the Chinese side of the border was relocated to a larger facility about 100 km to the east, outside the town ofUlugqat, which is about 1,000 m lower in elevation.[14] In the first eleven months of 2013, 39,045 travelers, 32,554 vehicles and 464,000 tons of goods passed through the Erkeshtam Border Crossing, which ranked fourth among border crossings in Xinjiang by the tonnage of goods processed.[15]
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Media related toErkeshtam at Wikimedia Commons| On the border |
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