Baisuntau

The Baisuntau mountain range (Uzbek: Boysuntogʻ; Russian: Байсунтау) is the southwestern continuation of the Gissar Mountains, in southeastern Uzbekistan. This in turn continues in a southwesterly direction with the Kugitangtau chain.

Geography

The Baisuntau extends for a length of approximately 150 km (93 mi) in a northeast/southwest 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:

Boybuloq (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), believed to be the longest cave in Uzbekistan, and possibly the deepest in the whole world.

References

1 2 3 "Baisuntau". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). 1979. Retrieved 16 January 2024 – via The Free Dictionary.
↑ Tsurikhin, E.; Loginov, V.; Sauro, F.; Breitenbach, S. (2013). "Exploration of High Altitude Caves in the Baisun-Tau Mountain Range, Uzbekistan". In Filippi, Michal; Bosak, Pavel (eds.). Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Speleology. Prague: Czech Speleological Society. hdl:11585/392274. ISBN 9788087857076. S2CID 133668908.
1 2 "The Deep Climb Into Uzbekistan's Dark Star Cave". National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic Society. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2026.

38°41′46″N 67°29′25″E / 38.696016°N 67.490172°E / 38.696016; 67.490172

[:0-1] 1 2 3 "Baisuntau". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). 1979. Retrieved 16 January 2024 – via The Free Dictionary.

[2] Tsurikhin, E.; Loginov, V.; Sauro, F.; Breitenbach, S. (2013). "Exploration of High Altitude Caves in the Baisun-Tau Mountain Range, Uzbekistan". In Filippi, Michal; Bosak, Pavel (eds.). Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Speleology. Prague: Czech Speleological Society. hdl:11585/392274. ISBN 9788087857076. S2CID 133668908.

[DeepClimbNG-3] 1 2 "The Deep Climb Into Uzbekistan's Dark Star Cave". National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic Society. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2026.