Ulugh Muztagh or Ulugh Muztag (Uighur: Ulug muz tag) () and Muztag Feng (), is an extremely remote mountain group on the northern
Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Tib ...
. Located on the border between the
Tibetan Autonomous Region and
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, it is part of the main range of the
Kunlun Mountains
The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...
of
East-
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
Asia.
There have been only a few attempts to climb Ulugh Muztagh and several of them have not been even able to reach the foot of the mountain. Getting near the mountain requires a difficult drive across terrain at the elevation of 4300–5000 metres. Expeditions who have climbed the mountain spent 2 to 3 weeks on the approach alone using 4 or 6 wheel drive vehicles.
The 7,723 metre elevation claim was made by the English country gentleman and explorer St
George Littledale in 1895. Despite the fact that earlier explorers had put forward elevations several hundred metres lower, and the scientific 6,973 metre measurement made in 1985, the Littledale elevation has been so resilient that even into the 21st century it still remains the most widely quoted; it is found in generally reliable publications, including the ''Times Atlas'' and fact books.
Other remote Tibetan-related mountains whose elevations have been established by
SRTM
The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is an international research effort that obtained digital elevation models on a near-global scale from 56°S to 60°N, to generate the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Ea ...
and modern Chinese mapping include:
* Nganglong (Aling) Kangri, , 6,720 m, but still often quoted at 7,315 m
*
Amne Machin
Amne Machin, Anyi Machen, or Anyê Maqên ("Grandfather Pomra") is the highest peak of a mountain range of the same name in the southeast of Qinghai province, China. It is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as the home of the chief indigenous deity of ...
(Maqen Gangri), , 6,282 m, but still often quoted at 7,160 m
*
Bukadaban Feng, , 6,860 m, but still quoted much higher
* Zangser Kangri,
, 6,540 m, but still sometimes quoted at 6,940 m.
Northeast of Ulugh Muztagh an
endorheic basin with several important lakes (Aqqikol, Ayakkum, Jingyu, etc.) is located. The basin is bounded by the main range of the Kunlun in the south, and by the more or less parallel range, the
Altyn-Tagh, in the north. Much of the basin is officially protected as the
Altun Shan Nature Reserve.
See also
*
List of Ultras of Tibet, East Asia and neighbouring areas
References
;Notes
;Sources
* William Holgate, ''Arka Tagh: the Mysterious Mountains'', The Ernest Press 1994, {{ISBN, 0-948153-33-4. The elevation of Ulugh Muztagh is discussed on p. 122.
External links
Ulugh Muztagh on summitpost
Mountain ranges of Tibet
Mountain ranges of Xinjiang
Six-thousanders of the Kunlun