Iron Gate Pass

Located eight kilometers northeast of Korla City, the "Iron Gate Pass" is a 14-kilometer-long gorge between Horo Mountain and Kuruktag Mountain, two branches of the Tianshan Mountains. It was a strategic passageway on the Old Silk Road. Carved on a sheer cliff by the gorge are four Chinese characters meaning "linked to mountains and a river" to stress on the important location of the gorge through its long history.