Small Balkhan

The Small Balkhan is a dry mountain ridge at the western edge of the Karakum, between the Great Balkhan and the western spurs of the Kopet Dag. Rocky slopes rise above the surrounding desert to a high plateau and low peaks. Desert vegetation gives way to more substantial mountain steppe on the heights, where plants find a foothold amid the sparse soil and stone. Together the two Balkhan ranges form conspicuous landmarks in the arid country east of the Caspian Sea.