Hindutash Pass

Hindutash Pass
NASA satellite image showing the towns of Kangxiwar and Pusa in southwestern Xinjiang, China and the Hindu-tagh Pass connecting them. The pass is marked in bright red.
Elevation5,450 m (17,881 ft)
Traversed by G580 (under construction)
LocationHotan County, Xinjiang, China
RangeKunlun Mountains
Coordinates36°16′23″N 78°46′50″E / 36.2731°N 78.7806°E / 36.2731; 78.7806
Hindutash Pass
Hindutash Pass
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese印地他什達坂
Simplified Chinese印地他什达坂
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYìndì-tāshí dábǎn
Uyghur name
Uyghurھىندۇتاش ئېغىزى

Hindu-tagh Pass, also known as Hindutash, is a historical mountain pass in the western Xinjiang, China. The pass cuts through the Kunlun Mountains connecting the now-deserted town of Kangxiwar in the Karakash River valley to the town of Pusha in the Pusha Jilga valley (36°23′00″N 79°00′00″E / 36.3833°N 79°E / 36.3833; 79; formerly Bushia). It also connects to the road to the city of Hotan (formerly Khotan or Ilchi; see adjacent maps).

G580 is under construction connecting Kangxiwar directly with Hotan. It will tunnel under Hindutash, connect with the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway G219 to the south after numerous hairpin turns. It is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

"Hindu-tagh" means "Indian Mountain," and "Hindu-tash," "Indian stone" in the Uyghur dialect of Xinjiang.