The Anzob Tunnel, Istiqlol Tunnel, or Ushtur Tunnel is a 5,040-metre-long (16,540 ft) tunnel located 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe, at an elevation of 2,720 m (8,920 ft). The tunnel is part of the M34 highway and connects the Tajik capital to the country's second largest city, Khujand. The tunnel was opened in 2006 despite being only partially finished.[1] In 2014 Iran's government signed an agreement to finish the tunnel and the tunnel was reopened in late 2015. The tunnel saves drivers at least 4 hours when traveling between Dushanbe and Khujand and allows travelers to avoid having to pass through Uzbekistan.
 Anzob Tunnel South Entrance, 2015 | |
| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1 March 2005 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 5,040 m (3.13 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,720 m (8,920 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 2,670 m (8,760 ft) |
Strategic importance
editTajikistan-Uzbekistan relations post-independence have been characterized as tense due to a number of factors, including concerns over incomplete border demarcation, water use disputes, and nationalist and irrendentist sentiment.[2] Strict visa requirements and unilateral restrictions on transportation access limited cross-border trade and movement of people; this was particularly concerning for Tajikistan, as most of the country's imports pass via railway through Uzbekistan.[3]
Prior to the tunnel's opening, the road between Dushanbe and Khujand across the Hisar Range was impassable for much of the year due to high-altitude winter conditions. The main route between the two cities, constructed during the Soviet period, passed through Uzbekistan; border closures on the Uzbek side often prevented transit of this route by Tajikistani citizens, effectively severing the connection between Tajikistan's two largest cities for nearly half of each year.[1] The tunnel both facilitates domestic travel between Dushanbe and Khujand, and travel between Dushanbe and Tashkent on the M34 highway via Istaravshan and Gulistan.
The tunnel is also said to be part of a planned road which would run from Iran through Herat in western Afghanistan and Mazar-i-Sharif and Sherkhan Bandar in northern Afghanistan to Tajikistan and from there up to China. The route has been named the new Silk Road.[citation needed]
Construction timeline
edit
The tunnel was officially opened in March 2006; it was built by the Iranian Sabir Co.[4] Due to the significance of the tunnel, limited traffic flow was permitted via signing a waiver form noting potential hazards such as flooding and smog from construction equipment operating inside the tunnel prior to the final construction phase which may have included installation of ventilation and drainage infrastructure.[5]
As of May 2014, the tunnel was still unfinished and the Iranian government and Tajik government had signed an agreement to complete the project by late March 2015.[6] The tunnel was closed in June 2015 for repair work and reopened for traffic in September 2015 after leakage problems and concreting the base and lighting the tunnel was completed.[7][8] It was officially inaugurated in August 2017.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Trilling, David (2 October 2007). "Tajikistan: the tunnel of fear". Eurasianet. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Uzbekistan-Tajikistan Relations: The Long Way to Strategic Partnership". www.cacianalyst.org. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Baizakova, Zhulduz. "Tajikistan and Uzbekistan: signs of political and economic rapprochement" (PDF). Eurasian Research Institute. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Российско-Китайское торгово-экономическое сотрудничество". Crc.mofcom.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ "Anzob tunnel - Lonely Planet travel forum". Lonelyplanet.com. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ "Envoy: Iran to complete Tajikistan's independence tunnel by next year". The Iran Project. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "Istiqlol Tunnel reopened for traffic for all types of vehicles today". Tajikistan News-NA «Asia-Plus». 25 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ Iran-made tunnel connects Tajikistan’s north to its south, published on 8 December 2015, Press TV
- ^ "Take Over of Tajikistan Isteghlal Tunnel". Iran Water and Power Resources Development Co. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2019.