Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 12, 2026

AH1

Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest east–west route of the Asian Highway Network, running 20,557 km (12,774 mi) from Tokyo, Japan via the Korean Peninsula, China, Mainland Southeast Asia, the South Asia, and the Iranian Plateau to the international border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul where it joins European route E80, running all the way to Lisbon, Portugal.

Last revised
Jun 12, 2026
Read time
≈ 6 min
Length
1,321 w
Citations
5
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Asian Highway 1 shield
Asian Highway 1
Route information
Length20,557 km (12,774 mi)
Major junctions
East endTokyo, Japan 35°41′03″N 139°46′29″E / 35.68417°N 139.77472°E / 35.68417; 139.77472
West endKapıkule, Turkey 41°43′01″N 26°21′10″E / 41.71694°N 26.35278°E / 41.71694; 26.35278
Location
CountriesJapan, South Korea, North Korea, China (including Hong Kong), Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey
Highway system
 → AH2

Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest east–west route of the Asian Highway Network, running 20,557 km (12,774 mi) from Tokyo, Japan via the Korean Peninsula (South Korea and North Korea), China (Mainland China and Hong Kong), Mainland Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar), the South Asia (India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan), and the Iranian Plateau (Afghanistan and Iran) to the international border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul where it joins European route E80, running all the way to Lisbon, Portugal.

Japan

AH1 at Nihonbashi, Tokyo, the "zero milepost" for measuring highway distances to Tokyo. source ↗

The 1,200-kilometre1 section in Japan was added to the system in November 2003.2 It runs along the following tolled expressways:3

From Fukuoka, the Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel has been proposed to provide a fixed crossing.

South Korea

Signage along the Gyeongbu Expressway with AH 1 route marker source ↗

The section in South Korea mainly follows the Gyeongbu Expressway. The Highway Boundary of South and North Korea.

North Korea

China

Guangzhou - Shenzhen branch

Hong Kong

Vietnam

Long Thanh Bridge source ↗

In future,

  • CT.01 (Đồng Đăng - Lạng Sơn, Diễn Châu - Cam Lộ, Quảng Ngãi - Nha Trang)
  • CT.40 (Long Trường - Tân Vạn, Bình Chuẩn - Củ Chi)
  • CT.31 (HCMC - Mộc Bài)

will become part of AH1 instead of the current National Highway 1 and National Highway 22.

Cambodia

Thailand

AH1, AH2 and Thailand Route 32 in Ayutthaya source ↗
Thai Myanmar Friendship Bridge source ↗

Myanmar

India (East)

Bangladesh

N2 in Bangladesh source ↗

India (West)

Asean India car rally crossing AH1 at Numaligarh source ↗

Pakistan

Khyber Pass source ↗
Motorway M-2, Lahore-Islamabad source ↗

Afghanistan

Iran

Abhar exit on Qazvin-Zanjan freeway in Iran source ↗
Qazvin Zanjan Freeway in Khorramdarreh County-Zanjan in Iran source ↗

Turkey

Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge source ↗

Connection to E80

E80 across southern Europe source ↗

The route AH1 links to E80 in Turkey. The E80 continues in the E-road network from the border station at Gürbulak in Turkey to Istanbul followed by E80 highways to Kapitan Andreevo/Kapıkule, Sofia, Niš, Pristina, Dubrovnik, Pescara, Rome, Genoa, Nice, Toulouse, Burgos, Valladolid, Salamanca and finally Lisbon on the Atlantic Ocean.

References

References

  1. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2003 Asian Highway Handbook Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, 2003, page 54
  2. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2003 Asian Highway Handbook Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, 2003, page 3
  3. アジアハイウェイ標識の設置場所 (in Japanese). MLIT. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  4. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,2003 Asian Highway Handbook Archived 2012-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, 2003, page 54 shows an aerial photo of the Yokohama Aoba Interchange, placing AH1 clearly on the Tomei Expressway rather than the other Tokyo-Nagoya expressway, the Chūō Expressway.
  5. "RHD Road Network Bangladesh" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2009-01-26.