Irkeshtam, being located at the
natural dividing line between major geographic and cultural regions, has been
an important border control point for at least a couple of millennia. It was
known in both Han Dynasties, as well as in theWeilüe(2nd third of the 3rd century CE) as
Juandu Wade-Giles: Chüan-tu,
(literally: 'Tax Control').
