The Kongur Tagh (meaning 'Brown Mountain' in Turkic languages) is the highest peak in the Pamir Mountains, and also the highest mountain wholly within the Xinjiang, China. With an elevation of , it is also the highest mountain outside of the Hindu Kush/Karakoram and Himalaya ranges.
Geography
Kongur Tagh is within a range called the
Kongur Shan (.) Kongur Tagh is located just north of
Muztagh Ata and visible from Karakul Lake. Some sources use "Kongur Shan" mistakenly to refer to the peak itself. The Kongur Shan range, including Muztagh Ata, is separated by the major
Yarkand River valley from the
Kunlun Mountains and thus is included in the "Eastern
Pamir Mountains".
Kongur Tagh is the highest peak in the Pamirs. Due to its remoteness and being hidden by nearby peaks, Kongur was not discovered by Europeans until 1900. However, the building of the Karakoram Highway from
Pakistan to
China, which runs past nearby
Tashkurgan Town and Karakul Lake, has now made it more accessible.
Administratively, the Kongur Range is within Akto County.
Climbing history
The
first ascent of Kongur Tagh was made in 1981 by a British expedition consisting of
Chris Bonington,
Alan Rouse,
Peter Boardman and
Joe Tasker.
[Ward (1983), pp. 146–8.]
Elevation
Kongur Tagh is high. Some sources list the peak's elevation as , but this is likely incorrect. The main summit is close enough in height to the high northeastern summit that climbers standing on the main summit could not tell which was taller, thus it can not be high.
Kashgar to lake Karakul
File:Karakul-kongur-d11.jpg| Kongur Tagh (towards the right edge of the photo) and Kongur Tiube (center) as seen from lake Karakul
File:Karakul-kongur-d06.jpg| The Kongur Tagh range in 2005. The summits visible from the viewpoint on the Karakoram highway to the southwest are those of Kuk Sel (6,715 metres) and Kezi Sel (6,525 metres), about 5 km and 7 km south of the main summit.
File:Kongur Shan.jpg| Kongur Tagh, 2011
See also
- Sources
External links
