The Beilou pass, 北樓關, appears once, in the Xin Tang Shu’s account of the wars of Ilig Khan with the Tang.[1] In 624 Ilig and Töles had come south with their whole strength and been turned back at Binzhou without a battle.[1] After the peace, heavy rain slackened the Göktürk bows. Ilig withdrew.[1]

The Tang court then debated how to guard the frontier. One official proposed boats on the Yellow River at Wuyuan and Lingwu, and another a long trench. The emperor had the frontier road trenched and warships built.[1] At this point Ilig sent an envoy asking leave to come to the Beilou pass and open a mutual market. The emperor could not refuse him.[1]

The Zizhi tongjian records under the first month of 625 that the Göktürks and the Tuyuhun each asked for mutual markets and were granted them.[2] It adds that China, after the years of disorder, had lacked plough oxen and now obtained them from the frontier peoples.[2] It does not name the pass.[2] The site of the Beilou pass has not been determined.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Xin Tangshu (New Book of Tang), juan 215
  2. ^ a b c Zizhi tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance), juan 191
  3. ^ Mau-tsai 1958, Turkish edition, p. 265

Sources

Literature

  • Liu Mau-tsai, Çin Kaynaklarına Göre Doğu Türkleri (1958, Turkish edition)

Related

What links here2

Battles & Events
The Standoff at Binzhou (624)
Institutions and Titles
Border Markets

Cite this article

Yavuz, Emre-E. “Beilou Pass.” Turkic Atlas, revised 22 October 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/places/beilou-pass/

Last revised: 22 October 2026