The Trans-Alay or Trans-Alai Range (, ; , , or , ; , ) is the northernmost range of the Pamir Mountain System. Following the collapse of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the range has been divided between

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 ...

and

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 ...

Geography

The Trans-Alay is located in the area where the Pamirs and the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

come together. This heavily glaciated range forms the border between the Gorno-Badakshan region in

and the

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 ...

, stretching eastwards until the border with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The name was from the viewpoint of Russian explorers in the region: The Alay Range lies to the north of the

Alay Valley The Alai Valley is a broad, dry valley running east–west across most of southern Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan 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 i ...

, formed by the Kyzyl-Suu or upper Vakhsh River, one of the principal tributaries of 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 ...

. The range on the far side of the valley, more distant from Russia and its outposts, became known as the Trans-Alay. The southern valley dividing the Trans-Alay from the Pamir proper is that of the river Muksu.

Peaks

The highest peak in the range is the 7134 m high Ibn Sina/Lenin Peak. The Kyzylart and Ters-Agar

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

es geographically divide the range into three parts: the western —highest peak (5,900 m), the central —with some of the highest summits, including Lenin Peak, (6717 m), (6780 m), and Marshal Zhukov Peak (6842 m), and the eastern — highest peak

Kurumdy I Kurumdy Mountain is a mountain in the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia, in the eastern section of the Trans-Alay Range. Kurumdy (Kurumdy I summit) has an elevation of above sea level and sits on the international border between Kyrgyzstan and Chin ...

summit (6614 m).

References

Mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan Mountain ranges of Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border Pamir Mountains {{Tajikistan-geo-stub

Geography

Peaks

See also

References