Kamchik Pass

The Kamchik Pass (Uzbek: Qamchiq dovoni), also spelt Kamchiq or Qamchiq,^[1] is a mountain pass in the Qurama Mountains in eastern Uzbekistan. The pass provides a strategically important route as an access for ground transport traveling between the Tashkent and Namangan Regions in the Fergana Valley bypassing neighboring Tajikistan. It connects the capital city of Tashkent with Osh, the second-largest city in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The peak of the pass reaches 2,268 metres (7,441 ft) above sea level.^[2]

Kamchik Pass
Uzbek: Qamchiq dovoni
View from Kamchik Pass towards west
Elevation	2,268 m (7,441 ft)
Location	Uzbekistan
Range	Qurama Mountains
Coordinates	41°06′0″N 70°31′5″E
Location within Uzbekistan

Route

For centuries, the Kamchik Pass was part of Central Asia's Silk Road trade route that connected the markets of Asia and Europe.^[3] The Tashkent-Osh (A373) international highway now winds through the pass. Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles travel through the Kamchik Pass each day.^[4]

Weather

The Kamchik Pass is frequently closed in the winter due to avalanche hazards. Mudslides and landslides are also threats to vehicles along the route and the nearby villages. In February 2015, the United Nations Development Programme announced it would help aid a disaster risk-reduction project for the Kamchik Pass. The plan is to improve an early warning monitoring system, emergency assistance and education for the people living in remote and rural disaster-prone regions nearby. The project is funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).^[4]

Climate data for Kamchik Pass (elevation 2,138 meters (7,014 ft)), 1991–2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−1.1 (30.0)	0.0 (32.0)	4.4 (39.9)	10.1 (50.2)	14.9 (58.8)	19.6 (67.3)	22.8 (73.0)	22.5 (72.5)	18.1 (64.6)	11.2 (52.2)	5.1 (41.2)	0.8 (33.4)	10.7 (51.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−5.4 (22.3)	−4.5 (23.9)	0.0 (32.0)	5.7 (42.3)	10.5 (50.9)	15.0 (59.0)	17.8 (64.0)	17.3 (63.1)	12.9 (55.2)	6.5 (43.7)	0.9 (33.6)	−3.4 (25.9)	6.1 (43.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−8.4 (16.9)	−7.8 (18.0)	−3.2 (26.2)	2.4 (36.3)	6.8 (44.2)	10.9 (51.6)	13.6 (56.5)	13.2 (55.8)	9.0 (48.2)	3.0 (37.4)	−2.2 (28.0)	−6.4 (20.5)	2.6 (36.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	69.7 (2.74)	82.9 (3.26)	80.1 (3.15)	93.4 (3.68)	76.4 (3.01)	46.0 (1.81)	21.9 (0.86)	14.1 (0.56)	16.7 (0.66)	52.4 (2.06)	78.4 (3.09)	80.6 (3.17)	712.6 (28.06)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	16	16	17	15	15	12	7	5	4	9	12	15	143
Source: NOAA[5]

Railway pass

Main article: Angren–Pop railway line

In March 2013, Uzbek Railways announced plans to build a new railway through the Kamchik Pass to allow freight traffic to bypass neighboring Tajikistan. The 129 kilometres (80 mi) long electric rail line connects existing railways at Angren and Pop in order to create a direct route between the cities of Tashkent and Namangan. The new rail allows Uzbekistan to abandon the Soviet-era line that cuts across Tajikistan's Sughd Region, saving Uzbekistan a reported $25 million in transit fees it pays to Tajikistan each year.^[6] The line opened in 2016.

See also

• Kamchiq Tunnel