Postcard from Bishkek

I know it’s not in Kyrgyzstan but, as today is China’s National Day, I thought I would mention an unusual and little known geological feature which is found just over the border, not far from Kashgar: Shipton’s Arch - “a curious arch so unique that it has been called one of the world’s top 20 natural wonders”.

Known locally as Tushuk Tash, (which means “pierced rock” in the Uighur language – in Chinese it is known as Tianmen, or “Heavenly Gate”) … and it is the world’s tallest natural arch.

It is named after Eric Shipton, a British diplomat who also doubled as a mountaineer.  Born in 1907, by the age of 22 he made the ascent of one of the twin summits of Mount Kenya in Africa.  Two years later he was in the team that conquered Mount Kanet in Norther India – completing what, at that point in time, was the highest peak ever climbed.  Two years later he was on an expedition to Everest and, although he never reached the summit, he got to within 1000 feet of it, (just over 300 meters).  Later, he

In 1940 he was appointed to the post of Consul General in Kashgar, (a post he held until 1942 – and he also served a second tern between 1946 and 1948). It was during a diplomatic mission from Kashgar to Tashkent in 1942 that he noticed an immense natural arch about 10 miles from the road.  Later he also pioneered the route taken by Hilary and Tensing in their successful ascent in 1953.

Actually, according to account written by his wife, Diana, (they both wrote books which included a description of their experiences in China – his was called Mountains of Tatary, hers, The Ancient Land), it was she who noticed it first.

This has led to an interesting debate, (well, that is, interesting to pedants – like me), about where the apostrophe should in the name.  If it named after just one of the couple – be it Eric or Diana – then the name should indeed be Shipton’s Arch, but if credit is given to the pair of them then surely it should be Shiptons’ Arch.

He was not able to explore further on that occasion – and several attempt to reach the arch from the south also proved unsuccessful.  It was only in 1947, on his fourth trip through the canyons of the Kara Tagh range searching for the route to the rock formation, (when local guides told him to approach from the North), that he finally arrived at the rock formation, itself.

Shipton estimated the height of the arch at “close to 1,000 feet.” – that is, just over 300 meters – and with a span of about 150 feet – that is about 46 meters. In May 2000, National Geographic organized an expedition to the arch – and they discovered it was actually over 450 meters high – with an opening estimated at just over 365 meters wide.  According to one source, that’s about the height of the Empire State building in New York and it’s even said that it is possible to fly a small plane through it.

As it happens, it’s a bit of a moot point, because it all depends where you actually measure the height from … the top of the rock pile on one side of the arch, or the floor of the valley on the other side – which is about 275 meters lower.

Although it is only about forty kilometers from Kashgar, it is still considered to be fairly remote because of the difficulty of reaching it, and the Guinness Book of World Records dropped the reference to it in some editions because they couldn’t locate it in order to verify the fact that it was the world’s tallest naturally formed arch.  (Apparently it lies in a different direction out of Kashgar than was originally reported.)

In fact, no other foreigner is reported to have visited the arch for fifty years.  Then, in May 2000, came the National Geographic team in search of the elusive feature.  It took them three attempts to reach it and they actually met some people who claimed to have met Shipton some fifty years earlier.  They climbed to the top of the arch and took some measurements.  (You can read their account of the trip here - I was thinking of paraphrasing it but in the end I decided that it’s well worth a mouse click and taking the time to read its six pages in the original version.)

It’s actually a lot easier to get there these days and several Kashgar based firms include a trip to the arch as an excursion – a day trip.  It’s takes about two hours to drive there, (not all of it on asphalt roads – apparently some of the track is along dry river beds), followed by a short hike, (about 45 minutes),  across country.  It’s not exactly an easy trek but ladders have been installed to make access easier.

There is an entrance fee, and it’s probably a good idea to take something to eat and drink, (some water and snacks) and if going to see the surise or sunset, then a torch (flashlight) would also be a good idea.

Here are some pictures of the arch taken by one of our former employees on her trip to Kashgar – Thank you, Sveta.

 

Tags: