Sasser Pass

{{Short description|Mountain pass in Ladakh, India}}

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = Saser Pass

| photo = Sasser Pass, Nubra ca. 1857.jpg

| photo_caption = Saser Pass, Nubra c. 1857

| elevation_m = 5411

| elevation_ref =

| traversed =

| location = Ladakh, India

| range = Karakoram Range

| map = India Ladakh#India

| map_caption = Location in Ladakh, India

| coordinates = {{coord|35|2|N|77|44|E|type:pass|display=inline,title}}{{cite web |title=Saser Pass |url=http://www.geonames.org/1257080/saser-pass.html |author=GeoNames.org |access-date=2009-07-03}}

| topo =

}}

Saser Pass, Saser La, or Sasser Pass (el. {{convert|5411|m|disp=or|abbr=on|sigfig=5}}) is a high mountain pass in the Indian union territory of Ladakh on the ancient summer caravan route from Leh to Yarkand, in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang. It leads from the head of the Nubra Valley into the upper Shyok Valley, on the way to the even higher, but easier, Karakoram Pass.

History

:"This was the notorious Sasser, not the highest but probably the most impressive and dangerous [of the passes along the caravan route between Ladakh and Yarkand]."Keay, John. When Men and Mountains Meet, p. 182. (1977) Reprint: Oxford University Press. Karachi, 1993. {{ISBN|0-19-577465-5}}.

The Saser Pass could not be avoided in summer and took a huge toll on caravan pack animals, such as ponies and mules. It was too icy for the Bactrian camels, which were the usual pack animals to the north of the Saser Pass.Trails to Inmost Asia: Five Years of Exploration with the Roerich Central Asian Expedition, p. 42. George N. Roerich. 1931. Reprint by Book Faith India, Delhi. 1996. {{ISBN|81-7303-032-4}}.

Saser Pass lies 37 km southeast of the Siachen Glacier area that the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan failed to define clearly.

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Trans-Himalayan Caravans: Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh. Janet Rizvi. Oxford University Press. New Delhi. 1999. {{ISBN|0-19-564855-2}}.

{{Mountain passes of India}}

{{Ladakh}}

Category:Mountain passes of Ladakh

Category:Mountain passes of the Karakoram

Category:Mountain passes of the Himalayas