Tien Shan

The Tien Shan is a mountain system located in Central Asia on the territory of four countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan. The name Tien Shan in Chinese means “heavenly mountains”. The Tien Shan Mountains are among the highest in the world. The highest point of the Tien Shan Mountains is Pobeda Peak. 7439 meters it is located on the border of Kyrgyzstan and China. This peak, discovered in 1943, is sought after by many avid climbers,
However, it is worth remembering that when climbing, periods of exceptionally bad weather may occur, accompanied by severe frosts, snow storms and avalanches, so a snow cave may be your best option for temporary shelter. Khan Tengri Peak, 6995 meters high, is located on border of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. This is the “Lord of Heaven” (in another translation “Lord of Spirits”), a giant pyramid that was first conquered by people in 1936. Khan Tengri and Pobeda Peak, both of these peaks are very popular among Russian and Western climbers. The border of three states runs along the top of this peak: China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. This is one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. Since time immemorial, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz have called it Kan-Too (from the Turkic “kan” - blood, “too” - mountain). They call it that because here, during a scarlet sunset, the upper part of the peak becomes almost red. The length of the Tien Shan from west to east is 2500 km. The territory of Kazakhstan includes almost the entire Northern Tien Shan, parts of the Central and Western Tien Shan. The Central Tien Shan within Kazakhstan begins from the powerful mountain node Khan Tengri. Further it extends to the west along a series of ridges. The largest of them is Tersky Alatau. The border with Kyrgyzstan runs along its eastern branch. The Northern Tien Shan includes the following ranges: Ketmen, Kungey Alatau, Trans-Ili Alatau, Chu-Ili Mountains and Kyrgyz Alatau.

ALL MOUNTAINS OF KAZAKHSTAN

The Western Tien Shan includes the Talas Range and those extending from it in the southeast direction
ridges - Ugamsky and Korzhintau. Karatau is located entirely within Kazakhstan - the most extreme, heavily destroyed region of the Tien Shan. The Zailiysky Alatau is the northernmost high-mountain ridge of the Tien Shan, has a length of 350 km, a width of 30-40 km, an average height of 4000 m. The Zailiysky Alatau rises towards the Talgar, Chiliko-Kemin mountains (Talgar peak - 4973 and in the eastern direction, to the tracts Dalashyk and Tore, noticeably decreases (3300-3400 m). The northern slopes of the mountains are especially clearly cut by numerous rivers, which indicates the influence of the glaciation era. Pointed peaks alternate with intermountain plains.
stepped relief shape. Ketmen, one of the mid-mountain ridges, is located in the eastern part of the Tien Shan.
Its length within Kazakhstan is 300 km, width - 50 km, height - 3500 m. The slopes of Ketmen are dissected by the rivers of the Ili basin. Kungey Alatau is included within the borders of Kazakhstan only on the northern slopes of its eastern part. The average height of this mountain range is 3800-4200 m. The eastern part of Kungei Alatau and Trans-Ili Alatau is separated by the valleys of the Charyn and Chilik rivers and the intermountain plain Zhalanash. The slopes of Kungei Northern Alatau are relatively gentle and
strongly dissected, the average height of this mountain range is 3800-4200 m. The Chu-Ili Mountains are located in the north-west of the Trans-Ili Alatau. They consist of individual hills that have undergone destruction and severe erosion. The average height is 1000-1200 m. The Kyrgyz Alatau is a large mountain system; its northern slope of the western part is located on the territory of Kazakhstan. In the Kazakhstan part, the height of the mountains does not exceed 4500 m. To the west they decrease. Western The Tien Shan within Kazakhstan begins south of the Kyrgyz ridge, beyond the Talas Valley. The Talas Alatau chain rises here (in the vicinity of the city of Taraz). The climate of the Kazakh part of the Tien Shan mountain system is dry and unstable. The height of mountain ranges and the diversity of relief also affect the climate in the mountains. In autumn and spring, there are often frosts in the foothills of the Tien Shan. In the summer months, hot winds often blow - hot winds. Where is Kazakhstan located? The dry continental climate in the mountains gives way to a moderately humid continental climate. Winter is long, from October to April-May, summer is much shorter. In Kungey and Terskey Alatau, snow sometimes falls as early as August and it becomes quite cold. Even in May-June there are often frosts. Real summer comes only in July. The time of heaviest precipitation is May. If during this period it rains at the foot of the mountain, then snow falls on its peaks. On the northern slopes of the Trans-Ili Alatau, even in the winter months there are often warm days. During the day the snow melts, at night the puddles become covered with ice. Such a sudden change in weather has a destructive effect on the rock. The climate of the Western Tien Shan is influenced by the warm climatic conditions of southern Kazakhstan. Here the average annual precipitation is higher - 600-800 mm. On the mountain slopes the average July temperature is +20°+25°C, at the foot of the glaciers -5°C. The peaks of the Tien Shan Mountains are covered with glaciers.
Many rivers flow along the spurs of the Tien Shan Mountains and along the intermountain plains. The rivers Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, Talgar, Issyk, Chilik, Kaskelen originate from the northern slopes of the Trans-Ili Alatau, and the Charyn River originates from the eastern slopes of the Tien Shan. Many of them flow into the Ili River, the flow of which replenishes the water supply of Lake Balkhash. Where is Kazakhstan located?
In total, there are 1009 glaciers in the Kazakh part of the Tien Shan.