Mintaka Pass
| Mintaka Pass | |
|---|---|
A Pakistani border marker near Mintaka Pass | |
| Elevation | 4,709 metres (15,449 ft) |
| Location | China–Pakistan border |
| Range | Karakorum Mountains |
| Coordinates | 37°00′14″N 74°51′04″E / 37.0039°N 74.8511°E |
Location of the Mintaka Pass within the greater Karakoram region | |
| Mintaka Pass | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 明鐵蓋達坂 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 明铁盖达坂 | ||||||
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| Uyghur name | |||||||
| Uyghur | مىڭ تىكە داۋانى | ||||||
| Kyrgyz name | |||||||
| Kyrgyz | مئڭ تەكە اشۇۇسۇ Миң-теке ашуусу | ||||||
The Mintaka Pass or Mingteke Pass or Mintika Pass(Chinese: 明铁盖达坂) is a mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains, between northern Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. In ancient times, the Mintaka Pass and the nearby Kilik Pass, 30 km (19 mi) to the west, were the two main access points into Gojal (the upper Hunza Valley) from the north. The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley near Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. In addition, the two passes were also the routes used to reach Chalachigu Valley and Taghdumbash Pamir from the south. The name of the pass – Mintaka means "a thousand ibex" in Kyrgyz.