The Alai Valley is a broad, dry valley running east–west across most of southern

Osh Region Osh is a Regions of Kyrgyzstan, region of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh, which is not part of the region. It is bounded (clockwise) by Jalal-Abad Region, Naryn Region, China (Xinjiang), Tajikistan (Districts under Central Government Jurisdiction ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

in Central Asia.

Geography

The valley spreads over a length of east–west. It has a width of in the west, in the central part, and in the east. The altitude of the valley ranges from near Karamyk to at the Taunmurun Pass with an average altitude of about . The area of the valley is . The north side is the Alay Mountains which slope down to the

Ferghana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Soviet republics, the valley is ethnically diverse and relation ...

. The south side is the Trans-Alay Range along the

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

border, with

Lenin Peak Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Peak (, ; ; , renamed () in July 2006
(Tajik); for Russian tex
Erkeshtam border crossing to China. The eastern Kyzyl-Suu ('Red River') flows from the Taunmurun Pass past Erkeshtam toward

Kashgar Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...

. The western Kyzyl-Suu flows west from the Taunmurun Pass and drains most of the valley, flowing on the north side. It exits through the Karamyk pass and a gorge into

, where, under the name of the Vakhsh River it flows south-west into the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

. Highway A371 runs along the valley. The western pass to Tajikistan is closed to foreigners, but the eastern pass to China is open. A371 intersects the M41 highway north to Osh at Sary-Tash. To the south, M41 ( Pamir Highway) becomes very rough and leads to the Kyzyl-Art pass to Murgab in

, a route that requires considerable preparation and paperwork. The valley has a population of approximately 17,000 and is almost entirely Kyrgyz with a few pockets of Tajik population. One traveler says "with no jobs, a harsh winter climate, and poor conditions for agriculture, life is immensely tough here, and most of the adult male population have left to seek work elsewhere."Laurence Mitchell, Kyrgyzstan, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008 Places in or near the valley: Irkestam, Nura, Sary-Tash,

Achiktash Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Peak (, ; ; , renamed () in July 2006
(Tajik); for Russian tex
Lenin Peak Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Peak (, ; ; , renamed () in July 2006
(Tajik); for Russian tex
Sary-Mogol Sary-Mogol () is a village in Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Alay District. Its population was 5,215 in 2021. It lies in the Alay Valley The Alai Valley is a broad, dry valley running east–west across most of southern Osh Region ...

, Kashka-Suu, Bordobo,

Kara-Kabak Kara-Kabak is a village in Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital a ...

Kyzyl-Eshme Kyzyl-Eshme is a village in Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Chong-Alay District. Its population was 1,532 in 2021. The village Daroot-Korgon Daroot-Korgon (also ''Daraut-Kurghan'' or ''Darautkorgon'' or ''Daroot-Qurghan'') is a villa ...

Daroot-Korgon Daroot-Korgon (also ''Daraut-Kurghan'' or ''Darautkorgon'' or ''Daroot-Qurghan'') is a village in the western Alay Valley of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan. It is the capital of Chong-Alay District. Its population was 6,421 in 2021. It is about 90 k ...

, Chak,

Jar-Bashy Jar-Bashy is a village in Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital an ...

, Karamyk,

Achyk-Suu Achyk-Suu is a village in Chong-Alay District of Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the ...

Environment

The valley contains sagebrush and xerophilic mountain vegetation, with ephemeral vegetation at its lower levels. The upper slopes have patches of juniper and spruce forest. Bird species of interest include the

snow pigeon The snow pigeon (''Columba leuconota'') is a species of bird in the genus ''Columba'' in the family Columbidae Columbidae is a bird Family (biology), family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the Order (biology), orde ...

Barbary The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...

and Saker falcons,

Himalayan vulture The Himalayan vulture (''Gyps himalayensis'') or Himalayan griffon vulture is an Old World vulture native to the Himalayas and foothills in North India, North and Northeast India, Northeastern India, as well as the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. After ...

plain mountain finch The plain mountain finch (''Leucosticte nemoricola'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland, upland forest and rocky cliffs. It is a resident breeder across the Himalayas. Their color and pa ...

, white-tailed rubythroat and

red-billed chough The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus ''Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the we ...

. The valley has been recognised as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

Notes

References

Valleys of Kyrgyzstan Important Bird Areas of Kyrgyzstan {{Osh-geo-stub

Geography

Environment

See also

Notes

References