The Dzungarian Alatau ( mn, Зүүнгарын Алатау, ''Züüngaryn Alatau''; ; kk, Жетісу Алатауы, ''Jetısu Alatauy''; russian: Джунгарский Алатау, ''Dzhungarskiy Alatau'') is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

that lies on the boundary of the

Dzungaria Dzungaria (; from the Mongolian language, Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') is a geographical subregion in Northwest China that corresponds to the northern half of Xinjiang. It is thus also known as Beijiang, which means "Northern Xinjiang" ...

region of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and the

Zhetysu Zhetysu, or Jeti-Suu ( kk, , Жетісу, pronounced ; ky, ''Jeti-Suu'', (), meaning "seven rivers"; also transcribed ''Zhetisu'', ''Jetisuw'', ''Jetysu'', ''Jeti-su'', ''Jity-su'', ''Жетысу'',, United States National Geospatial-I ...

region of

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. It has a length of and a maximum

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of .

Features

The Dzhungraian Alatau consists of foothills, ridges, forts, and alpine meadows of the Northern

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

(Trans-Ili Alatau, Ktmen). It is located at an altitude of 2,000m above sea level, and is over 400km long in the latitudinal direction. The Dzhungraian Alatau consists of two ranges that are distinctly parallel to each other: the northern (or main), and the southern range. The area includes several sub-parallel high mountain ranges, accompanied by low and short ranges and their spurs. It also holds the largest waterfall in Central Asia. A distinctive feature of the Dzunguarain Alatau is a series of sharp slopes. These are divided into low mountains (700–1600 m), medium lands (1600–3100 m) and highlands (3100–4662 m). There are numerous locations of petroglyphs mainly situated in the low- and mid-hills. The highest peak of the range is Semeonov Tien-Shansky (4622 m). The area is mostly unexplored. 33 species from the polymorphic genus ''

Allium ''Allium'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name ''Allium'' is the Latin word for garlic,Gledhill, Davi ...

'' L. have been found in the area. They belong to the subgenera ''Rhizirideum'', ''Allium'' and ''Melanocrommyum'', and are distributed from the foothills to alpine belts.

Tourism

There are two resorts that operate in the area. They are called Tekesu and Tau Zhetisu. Tekeli can be accessed via public transport from Almaty's main bus station to Taldykurgna. From Taldykurdan, marshrutkas are available to reach Tekeli. The area is often visited by climbers for alpine-style climbing. The area currently consists of approximately 4600 meters on relatively unexplored mountains. At the eastern end of the chain, near the

China–Kazakhstan border The China–Kazakhstan border or the Sino-Kazakhstan border ( kz, Қазақстан-Қытай мемлекеттiк шекарасы, russian: Казахстанско-китайская государственная граница, zh, s=� ...

, lies the

Dzungarian Gate The Dzungarian Gate (or Altai Gap or Altay Gap) is a geographically and historically significant mountain pass between China and Central Asia. It has been described as the "one and only gateway in the mountain-wall which stretches from Manchur ...

, a pass which for centuries was used as an invasion route by conquerors from

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

References

Mountain ranges of Kazakhstan Mountain ranges of Xinjiang China–Kazakhstan border {{Xinjiang-geo-stub