Kunlun

The western Kunlun rise above the southern rim of the Tarim Basin. Glaciers and snowfields in these high mountains feed the Tiznaf River, which descends toward the cultivated lands around Yarkand. The steep valleys form a sharp contrast with the dry basin below, while the ridges separate its oases from the high plateau to the south. Meltwater carries the resources of the mountains into the desert's edge.