- Source: Baisuntau
The Baisuntau mountain range (Uzbek: Boysuntogʻ; Russian: Байсунтау) is the southwestern continuation of the Gissar Mountains, in south-eastern Uzbekistan. This in turn continues in a south-westerly direction with the Kugitangtau chain.
Geography
The Baisuntau extends for a length of approximately 150 km (93 mi) in a north-east/south-west direction. It culminates at an elevation of 4,424 m (14,514 ft). From its northwestern and northern slopes arise several left-hand tributaries of the Kashkadarya River, including the Akdarya. The south-eastern slope of the mountain range is drained by the Surkhandarya river system.
Geology
The mountain range is made up of limestone, sandstone and clay. The lower slopes are covered by semi-desert type vegetation; higher up there are juniper forests and alpine meadows.
At the southern end of the mountain range is the Teshik-Tash cave, a famous archaeological site. Other caves in the region are Boi-Bulok (14.2 km long, 1,415 m deep), Festivalnaya (16 km long, 625 m deep) and the Dark Star cave (9.5 km long, 858 m deep).
