Zaalai
Zaalai
a mountain range in the North Pamirs, bordering the Alai Valley on the south, on the border of the Kirghiz and Tadzhik Soviet socialist republics. Length, 240 km; altitude, as high as 7,134 m (Lenin Peak). The northern slopes of the range, consisting of slate, limestone, sandstone, and conglomerate deposits, are more elongated than the southern slopes. On the lower slopes of the Zaalai Range there is mountain-steppe and alpine-meadow vegetation; higher up, there are glaciers and perennial snows. The area permanently covered with ice and snow is 1,436 sq km. The Zaalai Range can be crossed by the Osh-Khorog road, which passes through Kyzylart Pass (4,280 m).