Tian Shan

The central Tian Shan rises into a wilderness of high peaks, glaciers and deep valleys east of the Naryn basin. Among its great massifs are Khan Tengri and the neighbouring ranges, where snow and ice feed rivers descending toward distant lowlands. The high mountain country has little shelter on its exposed ridges, while meadows occupy some of the valleys below. Passes through these mountains connect lands separated by immense walls of rock and ice.