Gissar Range
Encyclopedia
Gissar Range is a mountain range
in Central Asia
, in the western part of the Pamir-Alay
system, stretching over 200 km in the general east-west direction across the territory of Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan
. The Gissar Range (also known as Hissar or Hisor Range) lies south of the Zeravshan Range
, extending north of Dushanbe through Tajikistan's Gissar District
and reaching Uzbekistan at the north tip of Surkhandarya Province
. The highest point in the Gissar Range at 4643 metres (15,232.9 ft) is located in Uzbekistan on the border with Tajikistan, just north-west of Dushanbe
. Formerly known as Peak of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party, the Khazret Sultan
is also the highest point in all Uzbekistan. The Gissar Range is composed of crystalline rocks, schist
, and sandstone
, punctured by granite
intrusions.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, in the western part of the Pamir-Alay
Pamir-Alay
The Pamir-Alay is a mountain system in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, part of the Pamir Mountains. It stretches between the valleys of the rivers Syr Darya to its north and Vakhsh to its south...
system, stretching over 200 km in the general east-west direction across the territory of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. The Gissar Range (also known as Hissar or Hisor Range) lies south of the Zeravshan Range
Zarafshan Range
The Zarafshan Range is a mountain range in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, part of the Pamir-Alay mountains. It stretches south of the Zeravshan River. The range extends over 370 km in the east-west direction along the south of Sughd Province in Tajikistan, reaching the highest point of 5,489 m in its...
, extending north of Dushanbe through Tajikistan's Gissar District
Hisor district
Hisor District or Nohiyai Hisor is a district in the Region of Republican Subordination, in Tajikistan, located west of the capital Dushanbe, between Varzob District in the east and Shahrinaw District in the west...
and reaching Uzbekistan at the north tip of Surkhandarya Province
Surxondaryo Province
Surxondaryo Province , old spelling Surkhandarya Province is a viloyat of Uzbekistan, located in the extreme south-east of the country. Established on March 6, 1941, it borders on Turkmenistan, Tajikstan, Afghanistan and Qashqadaryo Province. It covers an area of 20,100 km²...
. The highest point in the Gissar Range at 4643 metres (15,232.9 ft) is located in Uzbekistan on the border with Tajikistan, just north-west of Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
. Formerly known as Peak of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party, the Khazret Sultan
Khazret Sultan
Khazret Sultan is a mountain and the highest point of Uzbekistan, with an altitude of 4,643 metres . It is located on the border between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in Surkhandarya Province, in the Uzbek part of the Gissar Range...
is also the highest point in all Uzbekistan. The Gissar Range is composed of crystalline rocks, schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
, and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, punctured by granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
intrusions.