Altun Shan

The Altun Mountains stretch along the southeastern edge of the Tarim Basin, separating its desert from the high Tibetan Plateau. Their ridges rise above the oases of Charchan and Ruoqiang, while the dry uplands to the south contain enclosed basins and salt lakes. The mountains form a long barrier between the southern Tarim road and the interior of the plateau, broken by difficult passes and valleys.