Sanju Pass

Sanju Pass
1878 map of the region. The previous border claimed by the British Raj is shown in purple.
Elevation	5,364 m (17,598 ft)
Traversed by	Thomas Douglas Forsyth, 1873
Location	China
Range	Kunlun Mountains
Coordinates	36°40′N 78°14′E / 36.667°N 78.233°E / 36.667; 78.233Coordinates: 36°40′N 78°14′E / 36.667°N 78.233°E / 36.667; 78.233
Location in Xinjiang

The Sanju, or Sanju-la (Chinese: 桑株古道), with an elevation of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft), is a historical mountain pass in the Kun Lun Mountains in Xinjiang, China. During ancient times, it was the last on a series of difficult passes on the most common summer caravan route between Ladakh and the Tarim Basin. In recent years, besides being used by the locals, it is also become a trekking route for Chinese trekkers.

Historically, the main route from Northern India to the Tarim Basin led through the Nubra Valley in Ladakh across the ice-covered Sasser Pass (5,411 metres or 17,753 feet) and the even higher Karakoram Pass (5,575 metres or 18,291 feet) and the relatively easy Suget Pass to the staging post at Shahidulla. From there in summer the caravans normally headed north across the Sanju Pass to modern Guma (Pishan) in the Tarim Basin and then either northwest to Karghalik and Yarkand or northeast to Khotan.

After traversing the Sanju Pass, the caravans descended to the village of Sanju from where a good road led 122 miles (196 km) to Yarkand, meeting up with the Kilian route at Bora and the Kilik and Kugiar routes at Karghalik.

From Shahidula to the Tarim Basin the traveller had a choice of three passes, the Kilik (not to be confused with the Kilik Pass leading from the Hunza Valley to the north), the Kilian Pass and the Sanju; but the usual route for caravans in the 19th century was via the Sanju Pass.