Turkestan Range (original) (raw)

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Mountain range mostly in western Tajikistan

Turkestan Range
Turkestan chain south of Isfana.
Highest point
Peak Pik Skalisty
Elevation 5,621 m (18,442 ft)
Dimensions
Length 340 km (210 mi) E-W
Geography
Turkestan Range is located in TajikistanTurkestan RangeTurkestan Range
Countries Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
Region Batken Province
Range coordinates 39°35′N 69°45′E / 39.583°N 69.750°E / 39.583; 69.750
Geology
Rock type(s) Composed of sandstones, limestones, and siltstones of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age

One of the northern extensions of the Pamir-Alay system, the Turkestan Range (Russian: Туркестанский хребет; Kyrgyz: Түркстан кырка тоосу; Uzbek: Туркистон тизмаси, romanized: Turkiston tizmasi; Tajik: Қаторкӯҳи Туркистон) stretches for a total length of 340 km from the Alay Mountains on the border of Kyrgyzstan with Tajikistan to the Samarkand oasis in Uzbekistan. It runs in the east–west direction, north of the Zeravshan Range, forming the southern boundary of the Ferghana Valley in Tajikistan and Golodnaya Steppe in Uzbekistan. The highest elevations are in the east, near the border with Kyrgyzstan. The maximum elevation is the Pik Skalisty at 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). Glaciation occurs especially in the east. The southern slopes are bare cliffs and mountain steppe; the northern slopes are covered with forests. A highway through the Shakhristan Pass at 3,378 meters (11,083 ft) connects the capital Dushanbe with Khujand in Northern Tajikistan (Sughd Province).[1]

  1. ^ Great Soviet Encyclopedia, on-line edition, in Russian.