Pamir Mountains

The Pamir Mountains are characterized by extensive valleys and plateaus with altitudes between 3,000 and 4,500 meters. Above these, massive mountains rise like Kongur Tagh at 7,649 m (25,095 ft), Muztagh Ata at 7,509 m (24,636 ft) the Lenin Peak at 7,134m (23,406 ft). In the Tajik Pamir around Peak Ismoil Samoni, formerly Peak Communism, at 7,495m (24,590 ft) the mountains are characterized by deeper valley cuts and steeper relief. The Karakul ("Black Lake"), in the east of Tajikistan, is with 380 km² the largest lake within the Pamir mountains at over 4,000 meters / 13,000 feet altitude. The Pamir Highway, the second-highest paved highway after the Karakorum Highway, connects the mountains between Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Osh, Kyrgyzstan.

The Pamir borders the Tien Shan in the north and the Karakorum in the south. It is the third highest mountain range in the world after the Karakorum and Himalayas. It belongs to the roof of the world, the metaphorical term for the highest regions of Inner Asia. Facts:

• Highest mountain: Kongur 7,469 m (25,095 ft)

• 7,000m peaks: 6+ (depending on definition)

• Area: approx. 120,000 km²

Kongur, also called Kongur Tagh, is the highest mountain of the Pamir. The first ascent was made on 12 June 1981 by the British mountaineers Chris Bonington, Al Rouse, Peter Boardman, and Joe Tasker. After that, the mountain was only climbed by Japanese in 1989 and by Russians in 2004. The Kongur massif stretches over a length of 37 km from Seriti Peak (6,016 m) in the west to Aglastang Hill (5,981 m) in the east. The chain has several 7000m peaks, the following list would be confusing again and is listed under point 7.

Muztagh Ata together with the Kongur dominates the area above the Taklamakan desert. The first ascent was achieved in 1956 by a Russian-Chinese expedition. The ascent is considered relatively easy and the Muztagh Ata is one of the most popular 7,000-meter peaks in the world.

Peak Ismoil Somoni is the highest mountain of Tajikistan. The first ascent was made by the Russians Yevgeny Abalakov on September 3, 1933. During the time of the Soviet Union, the mountain was called Peak Stalin from 1932 to 1962 and was unnamed in Peak Communism in 1962. It was the highest mountain of the Soviet Union.

Kuksay Peak, also called Koskulak, is a neighboring mountain to Muztagh Ata. Although relatively easy to climb, the ascent probably did not take place until 2005. The embrasure height of approx. 1,200 height meters and the dominance with independent ridges and walls justifies the performance as a separate mountain and No. 4 of the Pamir.

Peak Lenin is located on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and is the highest mountain of the Transalai chain. The first ascent of Pik Lenin was achieved on 25 September 1928 by a German-Soviet expedition.

Korzhenevskaya Peak is the third highest mountain in Tajikistan. The first ascent was made by a Soviet expedition on August 22, 1953.

The highest point is the Kongur Tagh at 7,719 m (25,095 ft) followed by the secondary summit Dogbei Peak at 7,625 m (25,016 ft), both climbed by the Bonington expedition.

• Prominence: 548 meters

• Distance to Kongur Tagh: approx. 12km

• Location: West of Kongur Tagh

• Prominence: 166 meters

• Distance to Dowe: approx. 3.5 km

• Location: Between Kongur Tagh and Dowe

• Prominence:: approx. 160 meters

• Distance to Dowe: approx. 4 km

• Location: West of Dowe

Source of information (name, altitude, distances): Kanzhou Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences.