The Northern Tien Shan Tien Shan Tours
Beyond the Greater Himalaya other huge ranges complete the Asian mountain system that includes proper the Himalayas, passing to the Hindu Kush, next to the Karakorum, then to the Pamirs and come to the end in the Tien Shan Mountains. It extends for 2410 kilometers from the Pamirs to the border between China and Kazakhstan. Pobeda Peak (7439 m/24 406 ft; means “Victory” in English) is the highest point of the Tien Shan Mountains.
Because of the dry climate snow line is generally above three and a half thousand meters. Low in the valleys climate is extremely continental, turning to polar climate at the high altitude.
The Tien Shan are also known as the Celestial Mountains (translation from Chinese to English). It runs for over one and a half thousand kilometers from Tashkent to Urumqi.
Despite the records of the early explorers, the Tien Shan remained more legend than reality until they were visited by outstanding Russian geographer Semenov who is also named Semenov Tienshansky.
Khan Tengri is the second highest peak in the Tien Shan Mountains. Its ice encrusted sheer flanks, crowned with a marble pyramid peak alpenglow at sunset. The peak towers opposite to the highest point of the Tien Shan, peak Pobeda which doesn’t look as effective as Khan Tengri, “The Lord of the Ghosts”.
One of the longest glaciers in the world (out of the polar region) the Southern Inylchek Glacier lies here (more then sixty kilometers). The charming lake, named for the Austrian discoverer Gottfried Merzbacher, lie at the confluence of the Northern and the Southern Inylchek Glaciers.
