The Nuratau Mountains ( uz, Nurota tog'lari, russian: Нурата́у or Нурати́нский хребе́т) is a mountain range located in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

and constitutes one of the western buttresses of the

Gissar Range Hisar Range ( tg, Қаторкӯҳи Ҳисор; uz, Hisor tizmasi, russian: Гиссарский хребет; uk, Ґаторкугі Гісор; fa, رشته‌کوه حصار; also known as Hissar, Hisor, or Gissar Range) is a mountain range ...

. It borders

Aydar Lake The Aydar Lake ( uz, Aydar Ko‘li, Айдар кўли; Haydar ko‘li, Ҳайдар кўли; alternate spellings: Lake Aydarkul, Lake Aidarkul) is part of the man-made Aydar-Arnasay system of lakes, which covers 4,000 square kilometres (1,500&n ...

to the north, the town of

Nurata Nurota (sometimes spelled as Nurata, uz, Nurota, Нурота; tg, Нурато; russian: Нурата) is a city and seat of Nurota District in Navoiy Region in Uzbekistan. Its population is 32,300 (2016). History Nurota was founded as the anci ...

to the west, the Kyzylkum Desert to the south, and the Sanzar river to the east. Stretching over 170 km in east–west direction it culminates in the 2169 m Mount Zargar.

Geology

The range is composed chiefly of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. It has a flat crest, a steep and rocky northern slope, and a gentle southern slope.

The Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve

The Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve (NKBR) was established "to conserve the globally important biodiversity, landscapes and cultural assets of the Nuratau Mountain Range and the adjacent Kyzylkum Desert". The Reserve is said to be the only place in the world where the endangered Severtsov wild sheep ( Ovis ammon severtzovi) still roam in the wild. It has also an endemic collection of unique flora and a diverse spread of nut and fruit trees, including strands of pistachio and rare walnut.Distribution map of Tulips of the Nuratau Mountains and South-Eastern Kyzylkum
Retrieved 15 Oktober 2021.

References

{{Reflist Mountain ranges of Uzbekistan Biosphere reserves of Uzbekistan