Trip from town of Naryn to town of Kashgar.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving” 

Terry Pratchett. “A Hat Full of Sky”.

Travels on Naryn region in Kyrgyzstan.

The pass Torugart is located at the height of 3752,2 meters above sea level in the At-Bashi district Naryn of region. The pass is located in the southwest from the town of Naryn of the administrative center of the Naryn region.
The distance from the city of Bishkek to the pass Torugart of 500 kilometers, will be required 6, 5 hours to reach to the destination on the beautiful road constructed by the Republic of China in 2016. In Kyrgyzstan, it is one of the most known and available passes lying in east part of the ridge Torugart-Tau between the town of Naryn and the Chinese city of Kashgar, one of the ancient centers of the East in the Xinjiang-Uigur autonomous area.
The border check-point between Russia and China for the first time was founded here in 1881. In 1906 Russian-China the transport bank financed construction of the road through the pass which cost made 20 million rubles.
In 1952 Torugart replaced the pass Irkeshtam who is in 165 km to the southwest as the main border check-point between the Soviet Kyrgyzstan and China. The check point on the pass was closed in 1969 with deterioration in the Soviet Chinese relations and reopened only in 1983.
In 1995 the customs on the Chinese side was moved further from border, approximately on 57 km from the previous location. In 1905 the British Consul in Kashgar (George McCartney) found out that Russians paved the way 27 foot wide from the village of At-Bashi to the pass Torugart and also of a half of mile in the territory of China.
The main player in "A great game" between the British and Russian empires which fought for influence in Central Asia, told the commanders-in-chief that the road can be repaired and this road could be in the way through which there could pass troops of Russia.
In 1906 the Chinese government under the influence of the Russian government agreed to finish construction of the road, took pledge in the Russian Bank – compensating it by assignment of duty – the Russian dealers provided with monopoly of trade on this way.
Chinese were not glad to it and lifted taxes so that soon ceased to use the road. Paul Nazarof in the book "Hunting in Central Asia - About Secret Policy of Lenin" tells about difficulties and bureaucracy in this area.
Being returned back from China to Russia as many ignorant and unprepared modern travelers. In 7 kilometers to the north from the pass on the Kyrgyz side there is a lake Chatyr-Kol. From the Chinese side the customs is in 110 km from the pass, in the settlement Ulugchat Kyzylsu-Kirgiz of the autonomous area.
Distance from the pass Torugart to Kashgar 170 km, to Artush - 173 km, to Urumqi - 1630 km. There is a project which was published in the mid-nineties last century about construction through the pass Torugart of the railroad which would connect Kashgar to the Fergana Valley.

Author and photos
Alexander Petrov.