Karatash River
Encyclopedia
The Karatash River is south of Kashgar
in the Kongur Tagh
Range, (also referred to as the 'Kongur Shan', or 'Kongur Alps'), of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It runs from near the eastern side of the 'Old Karatash Pass' (which is about 30 km southeast of Karakul lake
, to the east and then northerly through the small Khirghiz villages of Shargut, Chat, Chimgan and Khan-Terek, flowing out into the Taklamakan Desert about halfway between Kashgar and Yangi Hissar.
The lower gorges are very steep, narrow and rough. The British Consul-General in Kashgar, Clarmont P. Skrine, described them in a letter of 1922 as "mysterious and terrible." In the upper valley, near the village of Chat, a community surrounded by wheat fields, of about "three dozen mud-brick houses, a school and a sizeable 'club' whose veranda is decorated with wall paintings," the valley is quite open and easy to travel. The river is fordable just above Chat.
in China, and the highest peak with its summit wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Sometimes it is considered to be a part of the Pamir Mountains
.
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
in the Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh or Kongkoerh is at 7,649 m the highest mountain wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.-Geography:...
Range, (also referred to as the 'Kongur Shan', or 'Kongur Alps'), of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It runs from near the eastern side of the 'Old Karatash Pass' (which is about 30 km southeast of Karakul lake
Karakul (China)
The Karakul or Karakuli is a lake located 196 km from Kashgar, Xinjiang province, China, in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture on the Karakoram Highway, before reaching Tashkurgan, the Khunjerab Pass on the China - Pakistan border and Sost in Pakistan...
, to the east and then northerly through the small Khirghiz villages of Shargut, Chat, Chimgan and Khan-Terek, flowing out into the Taklamakan Desert about halfway between Kashgar and Yangi Hissar.
"In a sense, the Karatash was very well-known historically, but only in its upper reaches. These lie on what seems to have been a standard trade route from Yarkand to Lake KarakulKarakul (China)The Karakul or Karakuli is a lake located 196 km from Kashgar, Xinjiang province, China, in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture on the Karakoram Highway, before reaching Tashkurgan, the Khunjerab Pass on the China - Pakistan border and Sost in Pakistan...
and beyond."
The lower gorges are very steep, narrow and rough. The British Consul-General in Kashgar, Clarmont P. Skrine, described them in a letter of 1922 as "mysterious and terrible." In the upper valley, near the village of Chat, a community surrounded by wheat fields, of about "three dozen mud-brick houses, a school and a sizeable 'club' whose veranda is decorated with wall paintings," the valley is quite open and easy to travel. The river is fordable just above Chat.
Kongur Tagh
The highest peak in the Kongur Shan is Kongur Tagh or Kongkoerh (also referred to as Kongur), 7,649 m (25,095 ft) , is the highest peak of the Kunlun MountainsKunlun Mountains
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.The...
in China, and the highest peak with its summit wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Sometimes it is considered to be a part of the Pamir Mountains
Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable...
.