Tien-Shan mountains: characteristics, history, height and photo

The Tien-Shan mountains excite the imagination of many and many travelers. How do you want to come here, with your own eyes to look at the snow caps, to feel the power and strength of this place!

Frankly, not everyone succeeds. Why? As a rule, there may be several reasons, but among the main ones I would like to single out the following. Remember where the Tien Shan is. Agree, this is not at the center of the intersection of the main tourist routes of the planet, and therefore, to get to this point of the planet and long, and expensive. Only the most desperate can afford it. Secondly, in order to go to conquer the Tien-Shan grief, a lot of physical training is needed. For a beginner, such a journey can in fact be dangerous.

However, this article will not only tell you where the Tien Shan is. In addition, the reader will receive valuable information about many other things. For example, about the characteristic features of this object, its climate, legends and myths, flora and fauna.

Section 1. General information

The Tien Shan Mountains, photos of which can be found in almost any atlas, which tells about the geographic features of our planet, are located in Central Asia on the territory of several states (Kyrgyzstan, China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan).

A significant part of the western range is in Kyrgyzstan, the eastern half goes to China, the northern and western extremities are in Kazakhstan, and the southern extremes are in the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

It should be noted that the ridge of the Tien Shan lies mainly in latitudinal and sublatitudinal zonality. This is one of the highest mountains in the world, among which there are many peaks with a height of over 6.0 thousand meters.

The highest points are the Victory Peak (about 7,440 meters), towering on the border of Kyrgyzstan and China, and Khan Tengri (almost 7,000 meters), located in Kyrgyzstan alongside Kazakhstan. It is difficult to even imagine the inhabitants of the flat territories, as it is to live at the foot of giant mountain giants, the peaks of which rise far above the level of cloud formation.

In general, the mountain system is divided into several regions: North, West, South-West, East, Internal and Central.

Section 2. Blue Mountains, or Tien-Shan. The climate of the highlands

The climate of this system refers mainly to the sharply continental type, characterized by a hot and dry summer with a small amount of precipitation.

Winter differs severity and high temperature changes, small clouds and excessive dryness of the air. In the mountains, there is a significant duration of sunshine, which is up to 2700 hours per year. Of course, for a typical person such data is unlikely to say anything, therefore, for comparison, we note that, for example, in Moscow, the average annual rate is only 1600 hours. The change in these values is influenced by high-altitude clouds and the complexity of the landscape.

The amount of precipitation depends on zoning and increases with ascent. The smallest amount of precipitation falls on the plains (150-200 mm per year), and in the middle mountain regions this figure reaches already up to 800 mm per year.

Most of all falls on the period of spring and summer. High dryness of air affects the formation of snow cover, which differs in different regions. For example, the Tien-Shan mountains in Kazakhstan (north-western slopes) have a snow line formed at an altitude of 3600-3800 meters, in the central part - at an altitude of 4200-4500 meters and 4000-4200 meters in the Eastern regions. That is, the height in many respects predetermines the conditions for the formation of a climate in a given locality.

A large accumulation of snow and ice on the slopes of the Tien Shan Mountains with the onset of heat can lead to avalanches of dangerous avalanches. That's why travelers should be extremely cautious.

Section 3. Geographical features

The Tien Shan Mountains are located in Central and Central Asia and belong to the highest mountains of Alpine folding on the whole planet. At an altitude of 4,000 m, traces of ancient, leveled surfaces have been preserved.

It should be noted that the Tien-Shan mountains, whose photos literally amaze with its splendor, are still in tectonic and seismological activity.

It is difficult to imagine that over thirty peaks of the mountain chain have a height of more than 6,000 meters. Of these, the highest are the Victory Peak (7439 m) and the Khan-Tengri peak (almost 7000 m). The length of the system from west to east is 2500 km.

Mountain ridges are formed from magmatic, and intermountain depressions - from sedimentary rocks. The height of the Tien Shan mountains, of course, lays its fingerprints on their features. The main part of the slopes has a high relief with forms of glaciation and screes of rocks.

It is established that at an altitude of over 3000 m the belt of permafrost begins. Between the mountain systems there are intermontane basins (Issyk-Kul, Naryn and Fergana).

To date, deposits of minerals have been discovered in the bowels of the Tien Shan: cadmium, zinc, antimony and mercury. And in the depressions - oil reserves. A lot of glaciers and avalanche snowfields. If we imagine where the Tien Shan is from an economic point of view, it immediately becomes clear how great the role of this mountain system is in the welfare of the surrounding states.

In addition, it should be noted that the rivers (Naryn, Chu, Tarim, Ili, etc.) and the lakes (Issyk-Kul, Chatyr-Kul and Song-Kel) belong to the reservoirs of internal drainage, and therefore, are of significant importance On the climate of the Tien Shan system. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan have long learned to profitably use these features for industrial purposes.

In general, the mountain chain consists of the following orographic areas:

• Northern Tien-Shan, including ridges Kirghiz, Ketmen, Kungey-Alatau and Zailiysky Alatau;
• Eastern Tien Shan - Borokhoro, Bogol-Ula, Kuruktag, Sarmin-Ula, Iren-Khabyrga, Karlytag Halyktau;
• Western Tien Shan - Talas Alatau, Karatau, Ugam, Pskem and Chatkal ranges;
• South-Western Tien-Shan: the south-western part of the Fergana Range and the mountains surrounding the Fergana Valley;
• The Inner Tien Shan is located within the Kirghiz Range, the Ferghana Range, the Issyk-Kul Basin, the Kokshtalau Range and the Akshyirak Massif.

To the west of the Central regions three mountain ridges are formed, separated by intermountain depressions and connected by the Ferghana Range. The eastern region of the Tien Shan is made up of two mountain ranges up to 5000 m high, separated by troughs. For this region, flat elevations of up to 4000 m are typical - syrtas.

The Tien-Shan mountains have an area of glaciation of 7,300 square kilometers. The largest glacier is South Inylchek. A significant area is occupied by mountain steppes and semi-deserts. The northern slopes are covered mainly by coniferous forests and meadow-steppe, which are higher in subalpine and alpine meadows, on syrtas - the landscape of cold deserts.

Section 4. The height of the Tien Shan mountains: myths, legends and originality of the name

Many inquisitive travelers know that in Chinese this name means "Celestial Mountains". According to the information of the Soviet geographer E.M. Murzaeva, who studied the geographical terminology of the Turkic language, this name is borrowed from the word Tengritag ("Tengri" - "divine, heaven, God" and "tag" - "mountain").

Tien Shan, whose photos in periodicals are often met, are famous for a lot of legends connected with the description of certain places, which are most likely local attractions. Both the first and second stories in this section tell the story of the Alatoo mountain range located in the Northern Tien Shan region.

Manzhypy-Ata

One of the world-famous attractions of Alatoo is the beautiful valley of the sacred springs of Manchzhypy-Ata, which is a popular pilgrimage site. Here is the mazar of the great teacher of Sufism and the holy distributor of Islamic faith among the nomad Kirghiz. Manzhzhypy-Ata is not the name of a person. So in various Turkic languages they called the respectable man, the patron of the locality and the pilgrims, the righteous or the master of the fertile pastures. The valley consists of many gorges, from the ground of which miraculous springs beat. Each of them is considered curative, and their unusual properties are proved by several leading specialists of the planet.

Of course, in ancient times, these springs could serve for watering animals. But over time, the preacher of Islam was endowed with the miraculous powers of the owner of the springs.

Those who happened to visit the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, photos of which turn out to be particularly fascinating, probably heard the statements of local experts that the springs endow the needy for family well-being, give knowledge and insight and relieve infertility.

The Tale of Alatoo

This fairy tale includes a picturesque place, located in the seasonal channel of rain mudflows, flowing from the foothills of Terskey-Alatoo to the lake Issyk-Kul. Despite the fact that the clay cliffs of the canyon, overgrown with shrubs, look dull at first, looking closely, one can wonder how much they change their appearance and appear in all splendor.

Thanks to this the name of the canyon "Fairy Tale" appeared. Here opens a fantastic world: colorful rocks of bright shades have frozen in unusual forms, and from the earth grow natural sculptures of limestone and sandy rocks, similar to prehistoric inhabitants or the ruins of castles.

The legend of this miracle of nature appeared recently. It says that the beauty of the gorge is unique, and if you come back here again, each time the gorge will look in a new way. That is why excursions here are arranged with enviable constancy, and the flow of travelers has not dried up for many years.

By the way, not everyone knows that apart from Alatoo, the name of the ridge has several more options - Atatau, Altai and Alai, which means "Variegated Mountains" from Turkic. Most likely, this is a description of the entire territory of the Northern Tien Shan, which is famous for its inconstancy and diversity. Here, green meadows are intertwined with rivers, snow-white peaks coexist with colorful rocks covered with coniferous forests and bright foothills.

Section 5. Inner waters

The Tien-Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, as well as in all other countries, are the territory of the formation of sewage, where many rivers originate from glaciers and snowfields of the glacial-nival zone and end in inland and inland lakes or form "dry deltas" , When water is absorbed in the sediments of the plains and goes to irrigation.

All the main rivers that have origins in the Tien Shan mountains belong to the basins of the Syr Darya, Talas, Ili, Chu, Manas, etc. The rivers have snow or glacial food. The peak flow is observed in the spring-summer period. Water is used to irrigate not only internal valleys and valleys, but also plains in the neighborhood.

Large lakes of the mountain system are at the bottom of intermontane basins and belong to the tectonic period. Such water bodies are the salt lake Issyk-Kul and the high-mountainous Chatyr-Köhl and Son-Kul lakes, which are almost always covered with ice. There are also carved and periglacial lakes (Merzbacher). The largest reservoir in the eastern Tien Shan region is Bagharshköl, connected with the Lobnor lake by the Kanchedarya River.

There are many small ponds, most of which are deep with steep banks and have a zavalno-damper origin (Lake Sary-Chelek).

Section 6. Area of glaciation

The number of glaciers of the mountain system is more than 7700. Among them there are valley, hanging and car types.

The total area of glaciation is quite impressive - over 900 sq. Km. Km. The Terskey-Alatau Ridge is characterized by glaciers of flattened peaks, consisting of less developed moraine formations.

The Tien Shan mountains form glaciers at a continuous pace. This means that the slow-moving part is replaced at the same speed by others.

In the global ice age, the entire surface was covered with a thick layer of ice. Until now, in different mountain regions of the world, one can find the remains of a common glaciation - the shafts, moraines, circuses, troughs and highland glacial lakes.

Note that all without exception, the river systems of Central Asia have origins from the known Tien Shan glaciers. One of them is the large river Naryn (Kirghizia). The Tien-Shan Mountains are the highest here, which means they can contribute to the formation of such powerful water arteries.

Glaciers feed less mountain rivers - tributaries of Naryn. Descending from the tops of the torrent, they overcome a huge path and gain tremendous power. Naryn built a cascade of large and medium-sized hydropower plants.

The pearl of the Tien-Shan mountains is the picturesque Issyk-Kul lake, which occupies the 7th place in the list of the largest and deepest water bodies. It is located in a gigantic tectonic basin between mountain ranges. Here, both locals and numerous tourists like to rest, coming by whole families or noisy friendly companies.

The area of the lake is 6332 square meters. M, and its depth reaches more than 700 m. Here you can add other large lakes of the Inner Tien Shan - Song-Kel and Chatyr-Kel.

In the highlands there are many small ponds of glacial and preglacial type, which practically do not affect the climate of the area, but are considered to be favorite places for recreation.

It is unlikely that anyone will dispute the fact that, say, the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, pictures of which are found quite often - this is a place worth visiting at least once in life. The same trend is observed in other countries. Every year more and more travelers from different parts of the world come here to rest.

Section 7. Features of local fauna

If you think about where the Tien Shan is, one can assume that its animal world is necessarily represented by inhabitants of the desert and steppe fauna.

The most numerous representatives of the local fauna include gazelle, gopher, hare-topai, gerbil, jerboa, etc.

Of the reptiles there are snakes (patterned skid, shield-muzzle, viper) and lizards.

Of the birds common larks, bustards, partridges, eagles-burial grounds.

Representatives of the forest fauna - wild boar, brown bear, lynx, wolf, fox, roe deer, etc. live in the middle-mountainous regions. Among the birds, nutcrackers and cysts predominate here.

Higher in the mountain ranges live marmots, voles, mountain goats, arhars and ermines. The most beautiful and rare is the predator snow leopard (snow leopard). Of the birds - eagles, vultures, lark, alpine jackdaw, etc.

Waterfowl species (ducks, geese) live on mountain lakes. In Issyk-Kul, during the migration period, you can see swans, and in Bagraskel - cormorant and black stork. There are also many fish in the lakes (Chebak, Marinka, Osman, etc.).

Section 8. The Peak of Victory - the history of conquest

Many argue that the Tien Shan mountains in Kazakhstan, whose height often exceeds 6000 meters, give the impression of giant giants reaching almost to the sky. However, the highest point is still not here.

The Victory Peak (the Chinese name Tomur) is located in Kyrgyzstan near the borders of China. It is included in the list of the highest peaks (7439 m).

Presumably for the first time the peak was conquered by a group of Soviet climbers in 1938. Although there are doubts that they have reached the top. In 1943, in honor of the victory over the Germans at Stalingrad, the Soviet government sent a command to the Victory Peak to the Victory Peak.

Also in 1955, two teams headed for the summit. The route of one of them ran from the Chon-Ton Pass in Kazakhstan, and the other along the Zvezdochka Glacier in Uzbekistan. Due to weather conditions, the team from Kazakhstan, having reached 6000 m, was forced to descend back. Of the 12 people in the group, only one survived. Since then, the mountains have a bad reputation. Climbing continues even now. Basically, these are daredevil climbers from Russia and the CIS.

Section 9. Heavenly Lake Tien Shan

110 kilometers from Urumqi, high in the mountains of China, the cleanest lake Tianchi ("Heavenly Lake"), shaped like a crescent moon, hid. The surface area of the reservoir is about 5.0 square meters. Km, depth - over 100 m.

Residents call the lake "Pearl of Heavenly Mountain". It is fed by the meltwater of the mountain peaks. In the summer, the reservoir saves people by its coolness from the heat. Tianchi is surrounded by snow-white peaks, the slopes of which are covered with coniferous forests, and flower glades. One of the peaks is the Bogdafin peak with a height of more than 6000 m. In the sky above the lake eagles soar.

Its former name was given to the lake in 1783. Previously, it was called Yaochi ("Jade Lake"). Tradition says that the pond was a font of the Taoist goddess Xi Wangmu, the keeper of springs and fruits of immortality. On the shore grows a peach tree, whose fruits give people eternal life.

Section 10. Mountain tourism

Many travelers, especially adherents of sports recreation, try to visit the Tien Shan at least once in their life. Photos made here have already been visited by travelers, someone will help determine the new holiday destination. And someone will consider them, looking forward to the next campaign.

The main area of all the above-mentioned countries consists of a mountainous area. Not surprisingly, these edges are ideal for the development of ski tourism. On the mountain slopes there are many resorts, the routes of which are suitable for both professionals and beginners. For convenience, the rental of equipment is working, and experienced instructors will help to master the skills of skiing.

For example, in Kyrgyzstan ski resorts "Oru-Sai", "Orlovka" "Kashka-Suu" and "Karakol" are very popular.

The ski season opens in December and ends in late March. The best months for descents are February and March. In the highlands on the glaciers the snow does not come off even in the summer. Fans of freeride for a lift to the hill can use a helicopter or car. For climbers there are organized ascents to the peaks and glaciers and descents. The slopes of the mountains are suitable for skiing and snowboarding.