In the Mountains of Central Asia
Top Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia)
RISK: Regions
Mountain's Grandeur (Vladimir Kopylov)
Maps from Russian Federation of Mountaineering. (Vladimir Kopylov)
Tien-Shan
Tien Shan (in Chinese meaning "celestial mountains") extend 3,000 km from Kyrgyzstan northeast through the Xinjiang (Sinkiang) region of western China to the Mongolian frontier. The Gissar-Alai, Zhu-Ili, Karatau, K'a-erh-li-k'o, and Junggar-Alatau mountains all belong to the Tian Shan, whose highest point, Pobeda Peak on the Kyrgyzstan-Xinjiang border, reaches 7,444 m. Principal rivers of the range include the Zhu, Ili, Naryn, Sarydzhaz, and Zeravshan. Temperatures in the foothills vary from - 4 degree to 27 degree C and at higher altitudes from - 23 degree to 5 degree C. The Kirghiz, Uighur, and Chinese who inhabit the mountains maintain an economy based on agriculture and the herding of horses, sheep, and cattle. Copper, lead, zinc, mercury, antimony, and tungsten are minerals commonly mined.
Alpine Page for Kyrgyzstan
Tien-Shan Travel
Tien-Shan Mountains (12 photos)
Ascent of Pobeda Peak
Trek to Lake Issyk-kul
, Diving Issyk-Kul
Pamir
The Pamirs, a region of high mountains and valleys in central Asia sometimes called "the roof of the world," form the core of several of the highest ranges on Earth - the Hindu Kush, the Kunlun Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and the Tian Shan (Tien Shan). Most of these area lies in Tajikistan, but it extends into northeastern Afghanistan and Xinjiang (Sinkiang) province in China. The average elevation exceeds 4,000 m and the highest point is atop K2 (Godwin Austen). Geologically complex, the Pamirs contain rocks of the Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic eras. More than 1,000 glaciers cover an area of 8,042 sq km. Because of the severely cold and arid climate, vegetation is sparse. Tajiks raise sheep and goats in the lower valleys and farm the small plots of arable land.Crossed by Marco Polo in 1271, the Pamirs were first explored by a Russian A. P. Fedchenko in 1871. In the 1930s a warm-weather highway traversing the region was built.
Pamirs Expedition
Mountaineering in the Pamirs
Pik Korzhenevskia
Panoramen des zentralen Pamir
Altai
The Altai Mountains or Altay Mountains, mountain range, Central Asia, extending from the headwaters of the Ob' and Irtysh rivers in southern Siberia in Russia, into Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China and into Mongolia. The highest peak of the Altai range is Mount Belukha (4506 m/14,783 ft). Below about 1830 m (about 6000 ft) the mountain slopes are thickly covered with trees, including cedar, pine, larch, fir, and birch. Between the forests and the snow line, which lies between about 2440 to 3050 m (about 8000 and 10,000 ft), are alpine pastures. The mountains are rich in minerals, especially coal, zinc, and lead, with some gold, iron ore, copper, silver, and tin.
Altai Homepage,
Katun' - Gornyy Altay pictures
Teletzkoye Lake (Altai)
Other interesing places
The Bezengi mountaineering camp (Kabardino-Balkaria)
Bezenghi wall panorama (picture above)
Lake Baikal
"Krasnoyarskie Stolby" National Park
"Krasnoyarskie Stolby" (William Sokolenko - photo gallery)
