Tashkurgan

Tashkurgan, also known as Taxkorgan or Tashkorgan (Tashikuergan in Chinese), lies at an altitude of 3600 metres along the Karakoram highway (the ancient Silk Road) in a plain between the Karakul lake and the Khunjerab pass. The inhabitants of Tashkurgan belong mainly to a Tajik ethnic minority. Tashkurgan has a long history as a stop on the Silk Road. Major caravan routes converged here on their way to Kashgar. In the valley near Tashkurgan there is a settlement of Kyrgyz people living in yurts.