Khan Tengri is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
of the
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...
. It is on the
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
—
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
—
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
tripoint, east of lake
Issyk Kul. Its geologic elevation is , but its glacial icecap rises to . For this reason, in mountaineering circles, including for the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Snow Leopard award criteria, it is considered a 7,000-metre peak.
Khan Tengri is the second-highest mountain in the
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
, surpassed only by
Jengish Chokusu (means "Victory peak", formerly known as
Peak Pobeda) (7,439 m). Khan Tengri is the highest point in
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and the third-highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, after
Jengish Chokusu (7,439 m) and
Avicenna Peak (7,134 m). It is also the world's most northern 7,000-metre peak, notable because peaks of high latitude have a shorter climbing season, generally more severe weather and thinner air.
Names
The name "Khan Tengri" literally means "King Heaven" in Kazakh or "King Sky" in Mongolian and possibly references the deity
Tengri
Tengri ( zh, 騰格里; otk, 𐰚𐰇𐰚:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, Kök Teŋri/Teŋiri, lit=Blue Heaven; Old Uyghur: ''tängri''; Middle Turkic: تآنغرِ; ky, теңир; tr, Tanrı; az, Tanrı; bg, Тангра; Proto-Turkic *''teŋri / ...
that both exist in
Pagan Tengrism and
Central Asian Buddhism
Buddhism in Central Asia refers to the forms of Buddhism (mainly Mahayana) that existed in Central Asia, which were historically especially prevalent along the Silk Road. The history of Buddhism in Central Asia is closely related to the Si ...
. In some other local languages, it is known as ''Khan Tangiri Shyngy'', ''Kan-Too Chokusu'', ''Pik Khan-Tengry'', and ''Hantengri Feng''. ( mn, Хан Тэнгэр, kk, Хан Тәңірі, Han Táńiri, حان تأڭئرئ; ky, Хан-Теңири Han-Teñiri, حان-تەڭىرى; ; ,
Xiao'erjing
Xiao'erjing or Xiao'erjin or Xiaor jin or in its shortened form, Xiaojing, literally meaning "children's script" or "minor script" (cf. "original script" referring to the original Perso-Arabic script; zh, s=本经, t=本經, p=Běnjīng, Xiao ...
: هًا تٍْ قْ لِ فعْ). Local residents named the mountain Khan-Tengri for the unique beauty of snow giants.
Features
Khan Tengri is a massive marble pyramid, covered in snow and ice. At sunset the marble glows red, giving it the name "blood mountain" in Kazakh and Kyrgyz ( kk, Қантау; ky, Кан-Тоо). Located just across the South
Engilchek (or Inylchek) glacier, 16 km north of
Jengish Chokusu, Khan Tengri was originally thought to be the highest peak in the Tian Shan because of its dramatic, steep shape, compared to the massive bulk of Jengish Chokusu. This perception was probably also due to Khan Tengri's visibility across the plains of southern Kazakhstan while Jengish Chokusu remains out of view of civilization. Khan Tengri is the highest peak in the rugged Tengri Tag subrange, also known as the Mustag, that also contains
Chapaev Peak () and Gorky Peak ().
Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev (russian: Анато́лий Никола́евич Букре́ев; January 16, 1958 – December 25, 1997) was a Soviet and Kazakhstani mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those a ...
considered Khan Tengri perhaps the world's most beautiful peak because of its geometric ridges and its symmetry.
History
Although it is almost 430 m (1,500 ft) lower than its neighbor, Khan Tengri was believed to be the highest peak in the range until Jengish Chokusu was surveyed in 1943 and determined to be higher.
Peter Semenov was the first European to see the Tengri Tag and its peak, the colossal Khan Tengri (in 1857).
The first ascent of the peak was made in 1931 by ’s Ukrainian team through a route from the south (Kyrgyzstan side), then along the west ridge. M. Kuzmin's team made the first ascent from the north (Kazakhstan side) in 1964. Khan Tengri is one of five peaks that a Soviet mountaineer needed to scale to earn the prestigious
Snow Leopard award.
Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev (russian: Анато́лий Никола́евич Букре́ев; January 16, 1958 – December 25, 1997) was a Soviet and Kazakhstani mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those a ...
achieved the first solo speed ascent in 1990.
A team from Kazakhstan made the first winter ascent of Khan Tengri on February 7, 1992; the team included
Valery Khrichtchatyi, Viktor Dedi, Yuri Moiseyev, Valdimir Suviga, Aleksandr Savin, Igor Putintsev and Malik Ismetov.
Austrian mountaineer and expedition leader
Toni Dürnberger died while descending after having climbed Khan Tengri on 17 August 1992.
Video in Gedenken an den österreichischen Bergsteiger Toni Dürnberger
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In 2004, more than a dozen mountaineers were killed in a large avalanche on the Pogrebetsky route, the most popular route on the mountain.
The peak appears on the 100 Kyrgyz som note.
See also
* List of elevation extremes by country
Footnotes
External links
*
*
Khan Tengri route maps
International Mountaineering Camp Kan Tengri
{{Authority control
Mountains of China
Mountains of Kazakhstan
Mountains of Kyrgyzstan
Issyk-Kul Region
Landforms of Almaty Region
Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border
International mountains of Asia
Seven-thousanders of the Tian Shan
China–Kazakhstan border
China–Kyrgyzstan border
Border tripoints
Highest points of countries
Tengriism