Kongur Tagh


Kongur Tagh or Kongkoerh, is at 7,649 m the highest mountain wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.
on the way from Kashgar to lake Karakul
This is the highest mountain outside of the Hindu Kush/Karakoram and Himalayan ranges.

Geography

Kongur Tagh is within a range called the Kongur Shan Kongur Tagh is located just north of Muztagh Ata and visible from Karakul Lake. Some sources use "Kongur Shan" mistakenly to refer to the peak itself. The Kongur Shan range, including Muztagh Ata, is separated by the major Yarkand River valley from the Kunlun Mountains and thus is sometimes included in the "Eastern Pamirs" Kongur Tagh is the highest peak in the Kunlun Range, and is higher than any peak in the Pamirs as well. Due to its remoteness and being hidden by nearby peaks, Kongur was not discovered by Europeans until 1900. However, the building of the Karakoram Highway from Pakistan to China, which runs past nearby Tashkurgan and Karakul Lake, has now made it more accessible.
Administratively, the Kongur Range is within Akto County.

Climbing history

The first attempt to climb Kongur Tagh was made in 1956 but the party aborted the attempt when it realized it was beyond their abilities.
The first ascent of Kongur Tagh was completed in 1981 by a British expedition consisting of Chris Bonington, Al Rouse, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker.

Elevation

This is taken from the Guide to Mountaineering in China. Some Chinese authorities give it 7,719 m, but evidence against this higher elevation is given .

Kongur Tiube

Kongur Tagh, which means "a brown mountain" in Uyghur language, has a significant subpeak known as Kongur Tiube, ; elevation = 7,530 m.Ranked 47th It is moderately independent, with a topographic prominence of 840 m. It was first climbed in 1956.

Footnotes