Babusar Pass or Babusar Top (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migr ...

in Pakistan at the north of the 150 km (93 miles) long

Kaghan Valley The Kaghan Valley ( ur, ) is an alpine valley located in the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley covers a distance of across northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of to its highest point at the Babusa ...

, connecting it via the Thak Nala with

Chilas Chilas ( ur, ) is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to I ...

on the

Karakoram Highway The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...

(KKH). It is the highest point in Kaghan Valley that can be easily accessed by cars. The Babusar Pass connects

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

with

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

. It is one of the most dangerous routes in Pakistan. Every year, many deaths happen here due to the mountainous slopes, which are among the most dangerous in the world. The most common reason for death is the brake failure of cars due to inexperience. Babusar Top was originally known as Babur Top, originating from the fact that the Mughal emperor

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through hi ...

used to pass through this area in the early 16th century. Nowadays however, it is commonly referred to as Babusar Top.

Climate

The

is at its best during summer (from May to September). In May, the maximum temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) and the minimum temperature is 3 °C (37 °F). From the middle of July up to the end of September the road beyond Naran is open right up to the Babusar Pass. However, movement is restricted during the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

and winter seasons. The Kaghan area can be accessed by road via the cities of

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Geography

The mountain ranges which enter the

Mansehra District Mansehra District is a district in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It was established as a district in 1976, prior to which it was a tehsil within the former Hazara District. Two former subdivisions of Mansehra we ...

from Kashmir are the offshoots of the great Himalayan system. In the

, the mountain system is the highest of the area including the Babusar Top. This range flanks the right bank of the Kunhar River, and contains a peak called

Malika Parbat Malika Parbat ( Pashto/; ''Queen of the Mountains'') (el. ) is the highest peak in Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is about south of Lake Saiful Muluk Saiful Muluk ( ur, ) is a mountainous lake located at the northern end o ...

, which is over 17,000 feet high, and is the highest in the valley. On the mountains the grasslands are also found where Gujjars and other nomads migrate during the summer for grazing by their sheep, goats and other animals. On the north side, there are mountains which are the extension of the same mountain system as that of the Kaghan mountains. This range diverges from the eastern side at Musa ka Musalla, a peak at an elevation of around 13,500 feet, which skirts the north end of the Bhogarmang and Konsh valleys, and sends down a spur to divide the two. Here also, like Kaghan, thick forests are naturally present, especially on the higher slopes. However, due to extensive exploitation, the thick forests are now usually found in the unapproachable areas. Babusar Pass

References

{{Mountain passes of Pakistan Diamer District Mountain passes of Gilgit-Baltistan Mansehra District Mountain passes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Climate

Geography

See also

References