Let's take a walk through the main geographical features mountain system Northern Tien Shan, located near Almaty. The Northern Tien Shan Mountains are the most visited in Kazakhstan, due to the proximity of a large metropolis. The mountains are located what is called “next door”. When describing some sections, I will compare them with the plains and another mountainous region of the Almaty region - Zhetysu Alatau. Due to the possibilities for the development of various types of tourism, the Northern Tien Shan can be called the Ile-Kungei tourist and recreational system (TRS). I will not describe the meaning of this concept.

The article will be an introduction to the section. From it you can begin to get acquainted with the features of the Almaty mountains.

Explanations on the names of mountain ranges: Ile Alatau - Trans-Ili Alatau, Zhetysu Alatau - Dzungarian Alatau.

The Northern Tien Shan system includes the following ranges: Ile Alatau, Kungei Alatau, Terskey Alatau and Uzynkara (Ketmen). Let's take a closer look at the first two, which are included in the Ile-Kungei TRS. We will get to the Terskey Alatau and Uzynkar ranges in the following articles.

Ile-Kungeyskaya TRS located in the extreme south of the Almaty region. The system includes 2 mountain ranges Ile Alatau and Kungey Alatau. Ile Alatau belongs to the Northern Tien Shan mountain system and is its northernmost ridge, rising above the Ili depression to 5017 m (Talgar peak) and stretches 360 km from west to east, having a width of about 30-40 km. The Kungei Alatau ridge is included within the Republic of Kazakhstan only by the northern slopes of its eastern half. The length of the ridge is 156 km, width – 12 km (Kazakh part). The highest point is Ishenbulak peak (4647 m). According to the topographic map, the highest point is Tchaikovsky Peak (4653 m), located 1.3 km west of Ishenbulak Peak [author's note].

Ile Alatau has rather steep northern slopes and gentler southern ones. The northern slopes in front of the plain, almost along their entire length, turn into hilly “counters”. The southern slopes descend into the mountain valleys of Chilik (Kazakhstan) and Chon-Kemin (Kyrgyzstan). The eastern and western extremities have a flatter relief than the middle part of the ridge (the Asy plateau, the Zhinishke valley in the east, Kastek and Karakastek in the west). Ile Alatau is characterized by U-shaped deep gorges and long moraine ridges in front of large glaciers, which makes approaches to them difficult.

Trans-Ili Alatau from the foothill plain

Peak Talgar 5017 m - the highest point of Ile Alatau and the entire Northern Tien Shan

Tchaikovsky Peak 4653 m – highest point of Kungey Alatau (Kazakhstan)

Kungey Alatau with its northern slopes descends into the valley of the Chilik River, to the Zhalanash Valley, and in the extreme east - to the Charyn River. The valleys of Kungey Alatau are flat, however, the slopes themselves are as steep as in Ile Alatau. The southern slopes descend into the basin of Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan).

A characteristic feature of Kungey Alatau is the high alpine plateaus located between U-shaped valleys at their confluence with Shelek. They appear west of the Orikta (Uryukta) River valley. The plateaus themselves abruptly end to the north towards Chilik, and in the south they are framed by rocky snow-ice peaks, abs. high which are more than 4000 m.

Kungey plateaus. Photo from the lane. Amanzhol (Trans-Ili Alatau)

Another feature is that in the ridges extending from the main one to the north, there are peaks that exceed the main Kungei Alatau ridge. For example, in the Taldy gorge there is a peak Kyz-Ymshek 4024 m, while the height of the main ridge in the upper reaches of Taldy does not exceed 3830 m. The distance to the main ridge from the peak Kyz-Ymshek is 8 km. The main ridge reaches 4000 m only in the valley of the Karakiya River, located 25 km west of Talda.

Glaciation of the ridge appears in the gorges closest to Karakiya, and the first valley glacier is located in the neighboring Karasai gorge. The moraines in front of the glaciers are not as long as in Ile Alatau. In the upper reaches of all the gorges, where there are no glaciers left, traces of recent glaciation have been preserved in the form of moraines, among which there are many lakes. Sometimes in the circus of one gorge their number can reach 10, for example, in the Kutyrga gorge.

The common features of the Ile-Kungey TRS is that the forest grows mainly on slopes of northern exposure. This is where the most snow accumulates in winter. Even in winter, southern-facing slopes are often not covered with snow.

In the summer, you need to know that the slopes of the eastern exposure warm up in the morning, so rockfalls are possible in the first half of the day, and on the western ones - in the second half of the day. In this regard, the northern slopes are not dangerous, because Most of the year they are covered with snow or glaciers, and the southern ones are usually very flat. For this reason, the northern slope is decisive

Climate. The climate determines the tourist seasons in the region, so let’s look at it in more detail. There are three main types of climate in the Almaty region: flat, foothills and mountain. Climate types differ in temperature, precipitation, winds, etc. The climate of the Zhetysu Alatau and Northern Tien Shan mountain systems has its own regional characteristics. The flat part of the Almaty region is characterized by a sharp continental climate, relatively cold winters (average January temperatures -11...-13°C), hot summers (average July temperatures +24...+26°C). The average annual precipitation ranges from 120 to 300 mm per year. The driest areas are the southern shore of the lake. Balkhash. Winters are somewhat milder in the eastern lowland part of the river valley. Or (average January temperatures -7...-9 o C). Summer daily temperature changes are less significant (12-15 o) than in the north (15-20 o), and the average July temperature is +24.0...+24.5 o C. The average annual precipitation is 180-250 mm per year. There is no clearly defined maximum precipitation here.

The foothill zone is characterized by a milder climate, expressed in less significant differences in seasonal and daily temperature amplitudes and more precipitation. Average temperatures in January and July in the foothills of Zhetysu Alatau are -7.5...-9.5 o C and +22.5...+23.5 o C, and in the foothills of the Tien Shan -4.5...-6.5 o C and +21.5...+23.5 o C. The average annual precipitation in the foothills of the Tien Shan is higher (600-700 mm) than in the foothill zone of Zhetysu Alatau (400-500 mm). Two well-defined precipitation maxima are noticeable: spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November). In Zhetysu Alatau these maximums are approximately equal (90-110 mm), and in the Tien Shan the spring maximum is 2 times more intense than the autumn one (200 and 110 mm).

In the mountains there is a rather complex regime of temperatures and precipitation, due to the altitudinal zone and regional differences in the mountainous terrain. It has been noted that on high mountain plateaus there is much less precipitation, and the amplitude of average monthly temperature fluctuations is much greater than in deeply dissected gorges. Winters in the mountains are much milder than in the plains and foothills of the region. For comparison, we present data from the weather stations (MS) Ust-Gorelnik (Ile Alatau) and Tekeli (Zhetysu Alatau), located at absolute altitude. high 1950 and 1720 m respectively. The average temperatures in January and July at the Tekeli MS are -6.4 and +16.1 o C, and at the Ust-Gorelnik MS -6.1 and +15.0 o C. The average annual precipitation at the Tekeli MS is 831 mm, and at the Ust-Gorelnik MS Ust-Gorelnik 900 mm. During the cold part of the year (December-March), 31.9% of all precipitation falls on the Tekeli MS, and slightly less than 23.1% on the Ust-Gorelnik MS. Maximum precipitation occurs in April-July: at Tekeli MS 47.2% and at Ust-Gorelnik MS 59.1%.

The distribution of the wind regime across the territory is also uneven, the strongest winds blow in the flat part of the region 4-6 m/s, in the foothills and mountainous areas they are noticeably weaker 1-3 m/s (the strongest winds are observed in the area of ​​Lake Zhalanashkol (near Alakol) , their force sometimes reaches 25-30 m/s). In summer, the region receives the greatest influx of solar radiation. In autumn and winter the most a large number of clear days a year, especially in the mountains. Fogs are characteristic of flat areas and most often occur in the cold season (November-March). In the summer, thunderstorms are frequent in the foothills and mountainous areas, recurring 25-35 days a year. Number of days with unfavorable natural phenomena(heavy downpours, hail, hurricane winds, snowfalls) no more than 5 days a year. Blizzards and dust storms are often observed in the flat areas of the northern half of the region.

The most comfortable season for the development of recreation in the Almaty region lasts from May to September and from December to February. During this period, mass excursion and educational tours, swimming and beach holidays, active tourist mountain, cycling and rafting trips are carried out. It is worth noting that the season for excursion and educational tours is somewhat longer - April-October. At the beginning of spring, tourists feel quite comfortable in Charyn or Altyn Emel. Massiveness in summer excursion tours moves to the mountainous regions of the Almaty region (Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, Issyk, Turgen and Aksai gorges, lakes Kolsai and Kaindy, etc.). Tours to the highest waterfall in Kazakhstan, Burkhan-Bulak, and the Korin Gorge are popular in Zhetysu Alatau. There are prospects for increasing the tourist flow in Zhetysu Alatau in the Arganakty gorge near the village. Lepsinsk is 2 lakes Zhasylkol (like Kolsai in Kungei Alatau).

Season swimming and beach holiday somewhat shorter - June-August. Main recreation areas: Reservoir. Kapchagay, lake Balkhash and r. Or. On small bodies of water, the swimming and beach holiday season may last longer.

The active tourism season lasts from May to September in all mountain systems of the region. Difficult sports mountain hikes and ascents to distant high peaks, requiring a long approach, are best done in July-August, the first half of September. In the vicinity of Almaty, the weekend hiking season lasts almost all year round, with the exception of the two most avalanche months: March and April ( ).

In winter, it is comfortable to engage in winter sports in mountainous areas active rest (skiing, snowboarding, freeride or backcountry). Seasonality winter species recreation is associated with the presence of a stable 30 cm of snow cover, which lies from the first ten days of December to the end of March and the beginning of the first ten days of April. However, in March it is necessary to ride, observing safety measures in connection with the season of mass avalanches. The tourist off-season in the Almaty region begins in autumn (October-November) and spring (March-April).

During the spring off-season in the mountains of Almaty, it is necessary to adhere to basic safety measures: do not go out on steep snow-covered slopes, when the snow subsides (characteristic - wow!) – stop the route and return to a safe place, stick to already trodden paths, roads, ridges and slopes of southern exposure.

Features of the climate in the Northern Tien Shan.

There are strong differences in regional climate patterns within the Ile Alatau ridge itself. It has been noted that most of the precipitation falls in the area between the Talgar and Malaya Almatinka rivers. The driest part is the western part of Ile Alatau from the Kaskelen gorge and the eastern part - the Asy plateau. This mainly occurs in winter. Differences in precipitation also affect temperature conditions. In drier places, the daily range of temperatures is greater - nights are colder throughout the year, and days are warmer in the summer.

Due to the lack of weather stations in Kungei Alatau, it is not possible to compare it in detail with Ile Alatau. However, it is clear that the amount of winter precipitation and snowfall in winter is significantly less than in Ile Alatau (approximately the same as in its western part). Summer weather conditions are approximately the same (maximum precipitation: May-July). It is possible that more rain falls in the Kolsai area than in the gorges located to the west.

The main feature of the climate in the warm season in the Ile-Kungey TRS is almost daily the development of cumulus clouds from 10 a.m. from May to July, and after 12-13 p.m., showers and thunderstorms begin, which continue until 18-19 p.m. In August, the activity of such clear cloud formation, precipitation and thunderstorms subsides.

Hydrological resources and glaciers. One of the largest rivers of the republic flows through the region - the river. Or (length within Kazakhstan – 815 km). The most significant watercourses belong to the Lake Balkhash basin: Lepsy (417 km), Karatal (390 km), Aksu (316 km) and Tentek (200 km). The largest reservoirs of the region are concentrated in the northeast of the region: Balkhash (18,200 km 2), Alakol (2,650 km 2), Sasykkol (736 km 2) and Zhalanashkol (37 km 2). Several reservoirs have been built in the region: Kapchagai (1,847 km 2) on the river. Ili, Bartogaiskoe (14 km 2) on the river. Chilik, Kurtinskoye (8 km 2) on the river. Kurty and Bestobinskoe (10 km 2) on the river. Charyn.

All rivers of the Ile-Kungey TRS belong to the Ile-Balkash water basin. The largest river is Chilik, 245 km long. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Eshki-Karasu, Tyshkanbai-Karasu (South-Eastern Talgar and Southern Issyk) and Zhangaryk. It has many tributaries flowing from the northern slopes of Kungey Alatau and the southern slopes of Ile Alatau (Tulkisai, Karasai, Karakiya, Orto Orikty, Ulken Orikty, Kutyrga, Taldy, Kurmety, Kolsai, etc.).

Valley of the Shelek River (source of Zhangaryk and confluence)

The sources of the river are some of the largest glaciers of the Northern Tien Shan - Korzhenevsky (10.7 km), Bogatyr (8.7 km), South Zhangaryk (7.1 km), Zhangaryk (5.7 km), and Novy (5 .4 km) [length of glaciers as of 2012 - Google Earth]. The largest in area in Ile Alatau is the Korzhenevsky glacier, and in Kungey Alatau is the Zhangaryk glacier, which will soon split into 2 separate branches (they will be approximately equal to the South Zhangaryk glacier). The largest glacier of the Trans-Ili Alatau was discovered in 1903 by the Russian researcher S.E. Dmitriev, who came here with the Kazakh expert on these places, Turar Ryskulov, from the village of Issyk. Dmitriev discovered most of the other glaciers of the Almaty mountains in 1902-1910.

Korzhenevsky glacier (Talgar peak on the right). Photo from Kokbulak peak

The South Zhangaryk glacier is the longest in Kungei, but not the largest in area. In the center of the glacier circus is Ishenbulak Peak. Photo from Zhusandy-Kungey peak (Trans-Ili Alatau)

All the longest and largest glaciers of the Northern Tien Shan are pulsating. It is difficult to predict the pulsation - it happens once every 20-30 years. The exact reasons have not been fully established. Perhaps this occurs after a critical amount of ice accumulates in the upper reaches of the glacier due to several snowy years in a row. For example, the last most famous pulsation was on the Bogatyr glacier in 1985. During a pulsation, a glacier can rise several tens of meters, move down the valley 1 km or more, and become strongly dissected. It is almost impossible to cross such a glacier.

Ripple of the Bogatyr glacier, 1985. Photo on the right, 2008.

The author last observed strong changes on the Zhangaryk glacier (right branch, 2013). An icefall and multiple faults formed in its middle part. And the tongue of the right branch has clearly shifted the tongue of the left branch by several tens of meters in comparison with 2005. Perhaps this is a weak pulsation or its initial stage (???). Traces of pulsation, apparently, were in 2005 on the South Zhangaryk glacier. His tongue was raised then. In the photo from 2010, these traces are not left; something similar can be seen in the upper part. In addition to the above mentioned, the glaciers of Dmitriev, Constitution in Left Talgar and Shokalsky in Middle Talgar are also pulsating.

Other largest glaciers of Kungey Alatau: Zhelkaragai (3.2 km), Kensai (2.8 km), Karasai Central (2.8 km), Sutbulak (2.7 km), Kairakty (2.6 km), Tulkisai ( 2.1 km) and the last large valley glacier Kungey Alatau - Karasai East (1.9 km). Glaciation decreases sharply east of the river valley. Karakiya. On the southern slopes of Ile Alatau, belonging to the river basin. Chilik, there are several glaciers more than 2 km long (the largest is 3.4 km).

Many rivers flow down from the northern slopes of Ile Alatau, but their sizes are not comparable with the river. Chilik. These include: Turgen, Issyk, Talgar, Kaskelen, Uzyn Kargaly, Aksai, Chemolgan, Bolshaya Almatinka, Malaya Almatinka, Kargalinka, Kyrgauldy, Kastek and other smaller watercourses. The largest glaciers on the northern slopes of Ile Alatau are: Constitution (4.7 km), Shokalsky (4.3 km), Dmitriev (4.1 km), Mining Institute (3.8 km), Kassina (3.7 km), Zharsay (3.5 km), Toguzak North (3.3 km), Toguzak South (3.2 km), Kalesnika (3.2 km), Metallurg (3.1 km), Tuyyksu (3.0 km), Makarevich (3.0 km), Grigoriev (3.0 km), Thermophysicists (2.8 km), Palgov (2.8 km), Severtsev (2.8 km), Bogdanovich (2.5 km), etc. The easternmost large glacier No. 244 (1.4 km) belongs to the river basin. Turgen. The extreme western glaciers belong to the river basin. Uzyn Kargaly, the maximum length of one of them is 1.6 km. The diagram shows the share of glaciation area in the main river basins of Ile Alatau. As of 2008, the glaciation area of ​​the northern slope of Ile Alatau was about 172 km 2, and the river basin. Chilik – about 200 km 2.

In general, the glaciological resources of the Ile-Kungei TRS are being quite depleted as a result of the impact of climate warming. The rate of reduction of glaciers on the northern slope of Ile Alatau is 2.23 km 2 /year. From 1955 to 2008 The area of ​​glaciation on the northern slope of Ile Alatau decreased by 42.3%.

Glaciation of the northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau

Tourists should know that a sharp rise in water level in all glacier-fed mountain rivers is observed in the second half of the day, with a maximum in the late afternoon, so it is better to wade large rivers early in the morning. The rivers, which largely depend on glaciers for their nutrition, are at their fullest in August.

There are many moraine and dammed lakes in the region. The most famous in terms of tourism are: the system of Kolsai lakes, Kaiyndy, Issyk, Bolshoye Almaty; as well as moraine lakes Chemolgan (Maktalykol and Aikol), Kaskelen (2 Cossack lakes), Aksai (2 Aksai lakes), Issyk (Akkol and Muzkol) and other lakes without names in Left Talgar, Turgen and in the upper reaches of many gorges of the Kungey Alatau ridge .

Within the Ile-Kungey TRS there are deposits mineral underground waters: Almarasanskoe, Almatinskoe, Aksaiskoe, Tauturgenskoe and Kuramskoe. Groundwater deposits within the Ile-Kungey TRS are currently used by sanatoriums in Almaty. The most famous deposits in the region are: Aloan-Arasanskoe (east of the village of Chundzha), Ku-Arasan (near the city of Zharkent) and Kapal-Arasan (near the village of Arasan, west of the city of Sarkand). The waters of the deposits are used by the sanatorium in the Aksu region "Kapal-Arasan", 3 sanatoriums in the Panfilov region ("Zharkent-Arasan", "Koktal-Arasan" and "Kerim Agash"), about 20 rest houses in the Uygur region.

Vegetation. In the flat part, semi-desert and desert vegetation with thickets of saxaul grows. In some places there are salt marshes. On the swampy coast of Lake Balkhash, in the delta and valley of the river. Or reed thickets grow.

In the mountains (absolute altitude more than 600 m) the semi-desert gives way to the steppe belt; at altitudes of 800-1700 m - meadow belt and deciduous forests (apple trees, birch, aspen); 1700-2800 m – belt of coniferous forests with subalpine meadows (Tien Shan spruce, fir, juniper); above 2800 m there are short-grass alpine meadows with sparse shrubs. Above 3400-3500 m, the glacial belt (glaciers) begins, where vegetation is completely absent, with the exception of the slopes of northern exposure (the border rises by 300-400 m).

The forest cover of the Almaty region is 8.3% or 5.2 million hectares (2012). The region is the second largest in terms of forest area after...attention! – Kyzylorda region. Actually, in the Kyzylorda region, the forests are only thickets of saxaul (they are also considered to be forests in Kazakhstan). While in the Almaty region the composition of forests is more diverse: Tien Shan spruce, pine, fir, larch, birch, aspen, ash, various types of fruit and shrub species, as well as extensive thickets of the same saxaul in the river delta. Or. The forest cover of the Ile-Kungey TRS is 42.2%.

Useful plants of the Ile-Kungey TRS: Sievers apple tree, common apricot, common raspberry, blackberry, common hop, Wittrock rhubarb, compact rhubarb, Altai onion, long onion, Beggerovsky rose hip, Albert rose hip, tangled larkspur, chamomile, St. John's wort, oregano , burnet, horsetail ephedra, elecampane, marshmallow, shepherd's purse, black henbane, wormwood, hemp nettle, tanning ram, willow and Tien Shan sorrel, etc.

Animal world. Various species of ground squirrels, gerbils, jerboas, long-eared hedgehogs, sand hare, bandage, jackal, goitered gazelle and saiga are common in the plains. The following species of fauna live within the Ile-Kungey TRS: gray marmot, relict ground squirrel, squirrel, white-tailed shrew, Tien Shan forest vole, two-colored leatherback, sharp-eared bat, dwarf pipistrelle, Tien Shan mouse mouse, common forest mouse, gray hamster, forest dormouse, red pika, big-eared pika, silver vole, snow leopard, lynx, stone marten, brown bear, otter, manul, deer, roe deer, mountain goat, argali, Bukhara deer and wild boar. Zhetysu Alatau is characterized by such species as the white hare, red wolf, wild ass, Przewalski's horse and many representatives of the fauna that are common in the Ile-Kungey TRS.

Dangerous reptiles common in the territory of the Ile-Kungey TRS are the common copperhead and the steppe viper. The venom of these snakes is not fatal, but is quite strong and causes swelling, swelling, dizziness, nausea and temporary loss of vision. There is no vaccine in Kazakhstan against the venom of these snakes.

In the Ile-Kungey TRS there are 4 ornithologically valuable natural areas, identified by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ASBK): KZ 098 Ulken Almaty and Prokhodnoe gorge (22.3 thousand hectares), KZ 099 Almaty Gas Processing Plant (71.7 thousand hectares), KZ 100 Asy plateau (41.1 thousand hectares) and KZ 102 Toraigyr ridge (38.6 thousand hectares).

Landscapes and protected areas. The main part of the territory of the Almaty region is occupied by desert low-plain landscapes, which, towards the mountain systems of Zhetysu Alatau and the Northern Tien Shan, change from semi-desert and desert foothills to steppe low-mountain and mid-mountain, forest mid-mountain, mountain-meadow mid-mountain and high-mountain and nival high-mountain. The city of Almaty is located in a zone of semi-desert foothill landscape, largely modified by anthropogenic impact.

Central Tien Shan

The Central Tien Shan is the highest and most majestic part of the Tien Shan mountain system. This is a huge “knot” of mountain ranges with a total length of about 500 km from west to east and 300 km from north to south. This is the most picturesque region of the Tien Shan, which is a complex system of intertwined mountain ranges (Terskey-Ala-Too, Sary-Jaz, Kui-Liu, Tengri-Tag, Enilchek, Kakshaal-Too, Meridional Ridge, etc.), crowned with majestic peaks the northernmost of highest mountains planets - Lenin Peak (7134 m), Pobeda Peak (7439 m) and the fantastic Khan Tengri Pyramid (7010 m, probably the most beautiful and difficult peak of the Tien Shan to climb). In the north, the Boro-Khoro ridge connects the Tien Shan with the Dzungarian Alatau system. Almost the entire territory of this region is located above 1500 m above sea level, and the mountain peaks are covered with centuries-old snow caps, giving rise to many dozens of glaciers, rivers and streams. There are over 8,000 ice fields and glaciers here, the most representative of which are the Southern (length about 60 km) and Northern (35 km) Inylchek (Enilchek, “The Little Prince”), Jetyoguz-Karakol (22 km), Kaindy (26 km) , Semenova (21 km) and others, whose total area exceeds 8100 sq. km.

The relief of most of the Tien Shan ridges is high-mountainous, strongly dissected by numerous valleys (the northern slopes are much more rugged than the southern ones), with highly developed glacial forms. There are many screes on the slopes, there are glaciers, on glaciers there are moraines, and at the foot there are numerous alluvial cones. Mountain river valleys have a large difference in height and a clearly visible stepped profile with flat swampy terraces - “sazs”. Many large valleys are surrounded by high-mountain plateaus - "syrts", whose height sometimes reaches 4700 m. On the plateaus and highlands of the mid-altitude part of the ridges there are high mountain pastures"jailoo", covered with forbs and alpine meadows. At altitudes from 1000 to 2000 meters, the foothills of the ridges are bordered by foothill adyrs. There are about 500 lakes here, the largest of which are Song-Kol (Son-Kul - “disappearing lake”, 270 sq. km) and Chatyr-Kol (Chatyr-Kul, 153 sq. km).

The Central Tien Shan is a real Mecca of international mountaineering, therefore it is the vicinity of the seven-thousanders that is the most studied part of the Tien Shan. The most popular points of attraction for climbers and trekkers are the areas of the Tengri-Tag ridge and Khan Tengri peak ("Lord of the Sky", 7010 m), Tomur Pass, Pobeda Peak (7439 m) and the Inylchek glacier, the basin of the unique Merzbacher Lake in the eastern part of the mountain system, Semenov-Tien-Shansky peak (4875 m), Free Korea peak (4740 m) and the famous Crown (4855 m) as part of the Kyrgyz ridge, Communism peak (7505 m) and Korzhenevskaya peak (7105 m, this is already the Pamirs, but few climbers would agree to pass by these great mountains), the ice walls of the Kakshaal-Too (Kokshaal-Tau) ridge, which includes three peaks with a height of more than 6000 m and about a dozen peaks with a height of more than 5000 m, the Ak-Shyyrak massif and many other, no less attractive regions.

Despite the harsh climate and mountainous landscape, the territory of the Tien Shan has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by numerous stone sculptures, rock paintings and burial grounds scattered in abundance throughout the territory of this mountainous country. Historical and cultural monuments of the medieval period are widely represented - fortified settlements like Koshoy-Korgon, which arose on the basis of nomadic camps, khan headquarters and on caravan routes from the Fergana Valley through the Tien Shan. One of the most famous and popular tourist sites in this region is the Tash-Rabat caravanserai (X-XII centuries), built in the inaccessible but picturesque Kara-Koyun gorge. Also widely known are Saimaluu-Tash or Saimaly-Tash (“Patterned Stones”) - a whole gallery of rock paintings in the gorge of the same name (more than 107 thousand petroglyphs of the 2nd-3rd millennia BC) not far from Kazarman, stone sculptures of Kyr-Dzhol (VI -VIII centuries) on the shores of Lake Song-Kol, petroglyphs of the Chumysh rocks (III-I thousand years BC, Fergana Range), numerous rock carvings of the Issyk-Kul, Naryn and Talas regions. The ancient caravan route through the Torugart pass (height 3752 m) is also worthy of attention. This long (total length about 700 km) route from Central Asia to Chinese Kashgar (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) passes through cold gorges and narrow passes of Terksey-Ala-Too, Moldo-Too, At-Bashi and Maydantag, through spectacularly beautiful landscapes and the most ancient caravan routes of the Great Silk Road.

Western Tien Shan

The Western Tien Shan mountain system lies on the very edge of the Tien Shan mountainous country, reaching out with its spurs to the hot sands of the deserts of Central Asia. The relief of these places is somewhat lower than in the central part of the mountain system, the leveling surfaces are more extensive, and the elevated plateaus are less numerous (Palatkhon, Angrenskoye, Ugamskoye and Karzhantau - all in the west of the region). The highest points of the Western Tien Shan are Chatkal Peak (4503 m) in the ridge of the same name, Manas Peak (4482 m) in the Talas Alatau and Mount Baubash-Ata (4427 m) in the western part of the Fergana Range. Glaciation is insignificant, the snow line runs at altitudes of 3600-3800 m on the northern slopes and 3800-4000 m on the southern ones. The rivers of the Western Tien Shan (Angren, Akbulak, Itokar, Karaunkur, Koksu, Maydantal, Maili-Suu, Naryn, Oygaing, Padysha-Ata, Pskem, Sandalash, Ugam, Chatkal and others) have rapids, are fed by glaciers and snow, and flow along narrow gorges (in the upper reaches), in the middle reaches they usually have wide valleys, but in the lower reaches they again form canyon shapes. It is simply difficult to find better places for rafting and rafting than local rivers.

The vegetation of the Western Tien Shan, despite the low amount of precipitation that falls here, is quite diverse - steppes and deciduous forests in the lower belt, shrubs and meadows in the middle, as well as alpine meadows and high-mountain heaths closer to the peaks. About 370 species of animals and approximately 1,200 species of higher plants live here, and the complex topography leads to the formation of numerous local ecocenoses inhabited by unique species of plants and animals. Therefore, the mountainous regions of the Western Tien Shan, although developed by tourists to a much lesser extent than the eastern regions, have their own undoubted set of attractions. The level of difficulty of the hikes carried out here is much lower, so less prepared tourists can take part in them, and their relatively short length makes it even easier. The easiest routes are laid through the Keksuysky, Kuraminsky, Sargardon-Kumbel, Ugamsky and Chatkalsky ridges. Somewhat more difficult, II-III categories, go through the Talas Alatau, Pskem and Maydantal (Maidantag) ridges, along the Baubash-Ata, Isfan-Dzhaylyau, Kekirim-Tau (Fergana ridge) mountains, and the most difficult routes pass in these same areas, capturing the surroundings of the peaks Chatkal (4503 m), Manas (4482 m) and Kattakumbel (3950 m) and Babayob (3769 m), fortunately the terrain here is so diverse that it allows you to pass sections of all difficulty levels within one route.

The most favorable time for trekking in the mountains of the Western Tien Shan is from the end of April to the end of October, but already in March-May there is a huge number of both organized groups and “wild” tourists.

“Heavenly Mountains” are well known to any Chinese. This is what the Tien Shan mountain system is called in China. China is not the only country with celestial mountain ranges. The rocky formation crosses countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. The ridge stretches across all of Central Asia.

Features of high mountains

The Tien Shan system has many peaks reaching heights of 6000 meters or more. The unique mountains also have an amazing ecosystem. Their appearance and views are indescribably beautiful, and the pits between them are replete with lakes. There are also fast rivers at the foot of the mountains.

The total length of the ridge is 2500 km. The entire mountain system is divided into the following areas:

• Central;
• Northern;
• Oriental;
• West;
• Southwestern.

The highest point of the ridge is Pobeda Peak. Its total height is 7439 meters. At one time, Pyotr Semenov and Thomas Atkinson were involved in research on the system. Subsequently, these figures published books about the Tien Shan mountain system, describing their travels and observations in them. They made many discoveries that helped to better understand the ecosystem of the Tien Shan range.

Famous mountain lake

Lake Tianchi is a natural landmark of China. It is located in the Tien Shan mountain system, 100 km from Urumqi. The height of the lake above sea level is 1900 meters. This is the same jade pond, the waters of which in ancient times were endowed with magical properties.

Legends say that the Goddess Sivanmu herself once bathed in the waters of the lake. The reservoir is fed by mountain glaciers, so the water in it is very clean. The nature around is untouched by man and incredibly beautiful.

In summer, tourists relax near the shores of Tianchi, but the water in the lake is not suitable for swimming, as it still remains too cold even on the hottest days.

Tianchi is a lake, looking into which you can see its sandy bottom, as well as reflections of snow-white peaks.

Climate around the Chinese mountains

The arid and sharply continental climate of the Tien Shan is characterized by snowy winters and hot summers.

The higher the mountain peaks are, the more precipitation there is. Some mountainous areas are subject to strong winds. The lowlands of the mountain range receive little rainfall and are most suitable for tourism.

Wildlife of the Tien Shan

The mountain range is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Its territory is inhabited by ferrets, hares, jerboas, gophers, mole voles, mice, rats and poisonous snakes.

Birds are represented in the form of larks, sandgrouses, eagles, bustards and partridges. Of the large animals, the ridge is favored by brown bears, lynxes, wild boars, wolves, foxes, badgers, martens, squirrels and roe deer.

Sometimes you can see a snow leopard in the highlands. This predator is listed in the Red Book, so they are a rare guest in all their habitats.

Tulips and irises grow on the slopes of the Tien Shan. Tansy trees, cedars, spruces, and aspens stand tall. These places are full of herbs and valuable medicinal plants. During the flowering period of various herbs, the mountain range turns into a colorful fairy tale.

Tien Shan and tourism

The main type of tourism on the territory of the ridge is hiking and mountaineering. Near mountain range There is a Confucian temple in Kufu. At some bases there are ski slopes.

There are tourist areas and hotels around the mountains. There are restaurants, nearby cities have all the infrastructure a person needs.

In some places you can ride a cable car. The most popular hiking trails are equipped with parking lots for tourists. Sometimes at high altitudes there are campsites and hotels with private rooms. The Tien Shan is so vast and unpredictable that it does not tolerate a rash approach. It is best to go to the mountains with a trusted instructor, observing safety precautions, and notifying the relevant Chinese authorities about your route.

Tien Shan has stunning views, rare nature, clean air and healing energy in the atmosphere. These mountains have always been considered one of the pearls of China, of which, by the way, there are quite a few in the country. They beckoned and beckoned tourists to their heights, opening up unprecedented places for the bravest of them, etched in their memory like the best memories.

Tien Shan or " Heavenly Mountains» - one of the highest and most visited mountain systems by tourists throughout the CIS countries. This grandiose Mountain country located mainly in the western part Kyrgyzstan a and on eastern China. Its northern and northwestern ranges reach Kazakhstan a, and the southwestern spurs ran through the territories Uzbekistan a And Tajikistan a. Thus, throughout the post-Soviet space, Tien Shan mountains stretched in a kind of arch, more than 1200 km in length and almost 300 km in width.

Scientists attribute Tien Shan to fairly old mountains of the Caledonian and Hercynian folding period, which underwent subsequent uplift in the Alpine era.

However, it must be said that the tectonic activity of this mountain system continues today, as evidenced by its high seismic activity.

Many glaciers give rise mountain rivers - tributaries of Naryn like a river going down a huge staircase from Tien Shan, covering 700 km of travel and gaining gigantic power. It is not surprising that the number of large and medium-sized power plants built on Naryn e, exceeds ten.

Remarkable in beauty Tien Shan lakes, and its main pearl - Issyk-Kul, which occupies a giant tectonic depression between mountain ranges Kungey- And Terskey-Alatau. Its maximum depth reaches 702 m, and the water surface area is 6332 sq. m. The lake is the seventh largest and third deepest natural reservoir in the entire post-Soviet space.

The most significant lakes of the Inner Tien Shan are also Song Kel And Chatyr-Kel, by now, considered to be drying up. On the territory of the Syrts and in the zone of low moraine relief there are quite a lot of small lakes; in the highlands there are glacial and subglacial reservoirs, they are interesting in themselves, but of no serious significance for the climate Tien Shan don't imagine.

Mountaineering potential of the Tien Shan.

Central Tien Shan.

Two areas stand out here - glacier areas South Inylchek And Kaindy.

South Inylchek.

It is located in the extreme eastern part of the country, on the border with Kazakhstan om And China, and includes eastern slopes of the Kokshaltau ridges, Inylchek-Tau, Saryjaz, and Tengri-Tag ridges And Meridional. This area is home to one of the largest glaciers in the world - South Inylchek, the length of which is 62 km, and the width reaches 3.5 km, with an average thickness of ice up to 200 m. There are also two " seven thousandths» peaks- Pobeda Peak And Khan Tengri Peak, 23 peaks over 6000m and about 80 peaks with a height of 5000-6000m. There are more than 70 routes in the area, but two “ six thousandths"tops and about 20" five thousand meters"remained unconquered.

The marked mountain areas have practically not been visited by climbers and still contain great prospects for pioneers.

Petr Petrovich Semenov - Russian geographer, botanist, statistician. In 1849 he graduated from St. Petersburg University and became a member of the Russian Geographical Society. In 1853, Semenov went abroad and attended lectures at the University of Berlin for three years. The idea of ​​the Tien Shan expedition arose in him on the eve of his trip to Europe. Semenov himself wrote about this in his memoirs: “My work on Asian geography led me... to a thorough acquaintance with everything that was known about inner Asia. I was especially attracted to the most central of the Asian mountain ranges - the Tien Shan, which had not yet been touched by a European traveler and which was known only from meager Chinese sources... To penetrate deep into Asia to the snowy peaks of this unattainable ridge, which the great Humboldt, based on the same meager Chinese information, I considered it volcanic, and to bring him several samples from the fragments of rocks of this ridge, and home - a rich collection of flora and fauna of a country newly discovered for science - that was what seemed the most tempting feat for me.”

Pyotr Semenov began to carefully and comprehensively prepare for the trip to the Tien Shan. In 1853 and 1854 he visited the Alps and made numerous excursions in the mountains there on foot, without a guide, with a compass, doing geological and botanical research. He also visited Vesuvius, making about two dozen ascents on it. Returning to Russia in 1856, Semenov received consent from the Council of the Geographical Society to equip him for the expedition. At a time when Semenov was already preparing for the long journey, at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau - one of the northern ranges of the Tien Shan - the Russians founded the fortification of Vernoye (now the city of Almaty).

At the beginning of May 1856, Pyotr Semenov set off on his journey. “...Arrived by railway to Moscow and further to Nizhny along the highway, bought a Kazan-made tarantass there and rode on postal ones along the great Siberian highway...” he told about the beginning of the journey in his memoirs. The route ran through Barnaul, Semipalatinsk, Kopal to the Vernoye fortification - to the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau.

2 Lake Issyk-Kul

The study of the Tien Shan began with a visit to Issyk-Kul. With great difficulty, the traveler reached the then deserted shores of this mountain lake, covered only with groves of small trees and tall bushes. “Only occasionally,” he wrote, “from such groves do the felt yurts of Kyrgyz shepherds appear white and the long neck of a Bactrian camel is exposed, and even more rarely, from the vast forest of dense reeds bordering the grove, a large herd of wild boars or the formidable ruler of these reed thickets—a bloodthirsty tiger—jumps out.”

Issyk-Kul is a huge lake, one of the deepest in Europe and Asia. About 80 mountain rivers flowing into Issyk-Kul, originating in the Tien Shan mountains, but not a single river flows out of it. At the time of Semenov’s travels, information about Issyk-Kul was insignificant. Geographers believed, for example, that it was from this lake that one of the large Central Asian rivers, the Chu River, began. Semenov's two trips to Issyk-Kul, especially the second, when he visited its western tip, were marked by great scientific results. Having passed through the narrow Boom Gorge, through which the Chu noisily carries its waters, Semenov reached the Issyk-Kul coast. Here he conducted a series of geological and geographical observations and for the first time established that the Chu begins not from the lake, but in one of the mountain valleys of the Tien Shan. In his letter sent to the Russian Geographical Society, Semenov wrote: “My second big trip to the Chu River exceeded my expectations with its success: I not only managed to cross the Chu, but even reached Issyk-Kul this way, i.e. its western an extremity on which no European has yet set foot and which no scientific research has touched.”

Semenov’s observations established that the Chu, before reaching Issyk-Kul, sharply turns in the opposite direction from the lake, crashing into the mountains rising on the western side of Issyk-Kul and, finally, bursting into the Boom Gorge.

3 First ascent of the Tien Shan

The following year, 1857, Semenov went to the mountains. His companion was the artist Kosharov, an art teacher at the Tomsk gymnasium. Having left Verny, the travelers reached the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, and from there, through the anciently famous Zaukinsky Pass, they penetrated to the upper reaches of the Syr Darya, which had not yet been reached by anyone before them.

Having passed through the forest zone of the Tien Shan, Semenov left the detachment accompanying him with packs and camels at the last fir trees and continued climbing, accompanied by Kosharov and several companions. “At last we reached the top of the pass, which presented me with an unexpected sight; the mountain giants were no longer in front of me, and in front of me lay an undulating plain, from which snow-covered peaks rose in relatively low hills. Between them were green lakes, only partially covered with ice, and where there was no ice, flocks of beautiful scoters swam on them. The hypsometric measurement gave me 3,380 meters for the absolute height of the Zaukinsky Pass. I felt a noise in my ears, and it seemed to me that they would immediately bleed.”

The travelers continued south along the rolling highlands. In front of them lay a vast syrt plateau, on which were scattered small semi-frozen lakes, located between relatively low mountains, but covered on the tops with snow, and on the slopes with the luxurious greenery of alpine meadows. Luxurious meadows with large, bright flowers of blue and yellow gentians, lavender bathworts, white and yellow buttercups covered all the hillsides. But most beautiful of all were the vast fields, completely overgrown with the golden heads of a special, previously undescribed type of onion, which later received the name Semenov’s onion from botanists.

From the top of one of the mountains, travelers saw the upper reaches of the Naryn tributaries flowing from the Syrt lakes. Thus, for the first time, the sources of the vast river system of Jaxartes were reached by a European traveler. From here the expedition moved back.

4 Second ascent of the Tien Shan

Soon Semenov made a second, even more successful ascent of the Tien Shan. This time the expedition route went in a more eastern direction. Having climbed the Karkara River, a significant tributary of the Ili River, then along Kok-Dzhar, one of the upper rivers of Karkara, the traveler climbed a pass of about 3,400 meters, separating Kok-Jar from Sary-Dzhas.

“When we got ... to the top of the mountain pass,” wrote Semenov, “we were blinded by an unexpected sight. Directly south of us rose the most majestic mountain range I had ever seen. It all, from top to bottom, consisted of snow giants, of which I could count at least thirty to the right and left of me. This entire ridge, along with all the spaces between mountain peaks, was covered with a never-ending veil of eternal snow. Just in the middle of these giants stood one, sharply separated by its colossal height, a snow-white, pointed pyramid, which seemed from the height of the pass to be twice as high as the other peaks.”

This is how the Khan Tengri peak was discovered, which until recently was considered the highest in the Tien Shan. Having visited the sources of Sary-Dzhas, Semnov discovered the vast glaciers of the northern slope of Khan Tengri, from which Sary-Dzhas originates. One of these glaciers was subsequently named after Semenov.

In the upper reaches of the Sary-Jaz, Semenov made another interesting discovery. He was the first researcher to see with his own eyes the huge mountain sheep of the Tien Shan - the kochkar - an animal that zoologists considered completely extinct.

On the way back to the foot of the Tien Shan, Semenov took a different road, following the valley of the Tekesa River. That same summer he explored the Trans-Ili Alatau, visited the Katu area in the Ili Plain, the Dzhungar Alatau and Lake Ala-Kul. The completion of the expeditions of 1856 - 1857 Semenov visited two mountain passes of Tarbagatai.

By imperial decree on November 23, 1906, for his services in the first exploration of the Tien Shan, the prefix “Tian-Shansky” was added to his surname “with descending descendants.”