Karachukar Valley

Karachukar Valley^[1][a] or Chalachigu Valley (Chinese: 卡拉其古河谷) is a valley in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang, China. It contains the basin of the Karachukar River, a tributary of the Tashkurgan River,^[4] and is regarded as part of Taghdumbash Pamir.^[5] The valley borders Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor or Little Pamir) to the west and northwest, Tajikistan to the north, and Pakistan (Gojal or upper Hunza) to the south.^[6] The name of the valley is from Kyrgyz, meaning "black cave".^[7]

Floor elevation

4,100 m (13,500 ft)

LocationTaxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

Coordinates37°9′N 74°42′E 

RiversKarachukar River

Quick facts Floor elevation, Geography ...

Karachukar Valley
Chalachigu Valley
Location within Southern Xinjiang Show map of Southern Xinjiang Location within China Show map of China
Floor elevation	4,100 m (13,500 ft)
Geography
Location	Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Coordinates	37°9′N 74°42′E
Rivers	Karachukar River
Interactive map of Karachukar Valley

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The valley is part of the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve.^[8] The protected Marco Polo sheep is only found in the wild around this area.^[6] The region is often referred to by the Chinese as the Chinese portion of the Wakhan Corridor.^[9] There is an ethnic Kyrgyz village called Bayik (Chinese: 排依克村 or Chinese: 阿特加依里村).^[10][11]

The entire Chalachigu Valley is closed to visitors. However, local residents and herders from the area are permitted access.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2017, CCTV-7's Documentary for Military program^[12] produced a mini-series covering the numerous border outposts in Chalachigu Valley.^[13] In 2025, the border was found by an Austrian journalist to have been fenced over by China.^[14]