Karakol-Ashuu

Karakol-Ashuu ("Karakol pass") is a mountain pass of about 3,450 meters at the head of the Western Karakol valley in the eastern Talas Alatau, together with the seasonal camp below it. Both are in the Toktogul District of the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ); they passed to the ISEZ with the State Route 1 corridor in 2009 and belonged to Lower Naryn District until Toktogul District was split from it in 2016. They lie at the edge of the Kyrgyz Range–Suusamyr planning zone of the Autonomous Tribal Regions (ATR). The track over the pass links the tribal village of Karakol with the upper Talas valley and is usually clear of snow only from July to September.^[1] A stone hut and stables at the foot of the northern ascent, rebuilt by clan work parties in 2011, shelter road-repair crews, herders and pack trains, and two or three families stay there through the summer.^[2]

References

1. ^ ISEZ Department of Geodesy and Cartography (2011). Gazetteer of Geographical Names of Irad. Talas.
2. ^ United Nations Mission in Irad (2022). Settlements and Services in the Talas Alatau Zone. Kara-Oi.