For countless centuries, a vital trade route has traversed this valley, facilitating the movement of travelers to and from East, South, and Central Asia.

[4] At its eastern end, the corridor forks into two prongs that wrap around a salient of Chinese territory, forming the 92 km (57 mi) boundary between the two countries.

[13] This entire valley on the Chinese side is closed to visitors; however, local residents and herders from the area are permitted access.

The area was visited under the watchful eyes of the Russians by Thomas Edward Gordon in 1874,[18] and in 1891 by Francis Younghusband,[19] followed by Lord Curzon in 1894.

[20] While visiting Wakhan in May 1906, Aurel Stein reported that 100 pony loads of goods crossed annually to China.

[21] Early travellers used one of three routes: From a non-Afghan point of view, the corridor is in part a political creation from The Great Game between British India and Russian Empire.

This left a narrow strip of land ruled by Afghanistan as a buffer between the two empires, which became known as the Wakhan Corridor in the 20th century.

Jacob Townsend has speculated on the possibility of drug smuggling from Afghanistan to China via the Wakhan Corridor and Wakhjir Pass, but concluded that due to the difficulties of travel and border crossings, it would be minor compared to that conducted via Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province or through Pakistan, both having much more accessible routes into China.

[31] It was reported that hundreds of ethnic Kyrgyz nomads along with their livestock attempted to flee north into Tajikistan.

[33][34] As of June 2023, there had been discussions between foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan concerning the opening of the strategically significant corridor to enhance the trade ties between Beijing and Kabul.

[36][37] In 2024 an independent analysis conducted at the University of Texas at Austin which relied on open source intelligence suggested the corridor consists of, "primarily dirt roads and footpaths that abruptly end before reaching the border.