Hiking trip to Tash-Rabat caravanserai.

"For three days the caravan climbed up the Toin torrent in the north and northwest direction and on the 17th spent the night at the source of this river in the Torgat tract. The Toin River has a wide valley, the route along it is extremely convenient. Poplar grows on the banks of the river, only at the first overnight stop there is sea buckthorn. There are no bushes on the Torgat. As the road climbed higher and higher along the river, the weather became colder. In the upper parts the river was covered with ice, and in the gullies there was snow, so the caravan had to break it up with shovels to make a path."

Chokan Valikhanov. "Description of the route to Kashgar and back to the Alatav district." 1858 - 1859.

Trip from Naryn to Torugart Pass.

Border sign "Arch" was located on Torugart Pass ("toru" - bay, "art" - pass from Kyrgyz) at an altitude of 3752.2 meters above sea level, located in north-eastern part of Torugart Too ridge, 6.5 kilometers southeast of Lake Chatyr-Kol, in Atbashi district of Naryn region. 
The arch was built by the Russian Soviet Republic in 1920. The height of the arch was 15 meters, the width - 20. The arch existed until August 16, 2002, which symbolized the gate for entry and exit from China. During a small movement of border sections and demarcation work between the states of the Chinese and the Republic and the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the arch moved to the Chinese side.
The arch was a symbol of the Torugart Pass and a local landmark for border guards and tourists. By the early 2000s, the arch had tilted to one side due to the swampy terrain on the pass, and heavy trucks delivering various national economic goods played a significant role in this. In August 2002, the Chinese leadership decided to blow up the arch, which was done.
The border point between the Russian Empire and the Qing Empire was first established here in 1881.
Geographical coordinates of Torugart Pass: N40°33'05 E75°23'38

Author and photos by:
Alexander Petrov.