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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
94 THE KURUK-TAGH AND TI-IE KURUK-DARJA.
in the mountains, inclosed by dark walls of crystalline rock, totally destitute of vegetation, except along the bottom and in the crevices at the sides, where a few bushes have insinuated themselves.» Near the summit of the range granite appears again, in places severely disintegrated.
The ascent of the actual culminating crest is rather steep and stony, but not particularly difficult for pack-animals.»
»From the top of the pass I perceived a considerable expanse of mountainous country, stretching a long way towards the south-east in three ranges, all built up upon a flat granite base. I was very sorry not to be able to see the lake of Baghrasch-köl; it was hidden behind rounded heights belonging to the extreme northerly range. This stretches first east, and then north-east, and is called Chara-tekenula and Kisil-sangir-tagh . . . . There we began the descent, at first on the open slope, then by a stony, pretty broad transverse glen which stretches almost due north.»
»The southern slope of the range is covered with a thin layer of disintegration products, which however increases in thickness as the foot of the mountain is approached. On the northern slope we observed bushes (Ej5herda, Kallidium, and others), not only at the bottom and in the side-crevices of the transverse glen, but also on the slopes of the mountains.»
»Emerging from the transverse glen, we found ourselves on the verge of an open plain, which extends north-eastwards farther than we were able to see. It is the lowlands of the Baghrasch-köl; but the lake itself was not yet visible, though we could easily see where it was by a belt of high reeds and a line of hills along the shore parallel to it, and bearing tamarisks.»
»At Kalmak-uldi lofty sand-dunes approach the Baghrasch-köl from the south, and then continue along its southern shore. Beyond them on the south appears the northern chain of the Kuruk-tagh, the Chara-teken-ula, gradually increasing in height towards the east.»
»There are no settled inhabitants on the southern shore of the lake. It is only visited by hunters, and sometimes by Kalmucks who live at the other side of the belt of sand, at the foot of the Chara-teken-ula, when there is not enough grazing for their live-stock in the mountains. The locality in which these people live is Kujdalik, situated close to the foot of the last-named range, almost 25 versts due south. from the district of Kimur-chani. It is well watered by numerous springs.»
Fifteen versts east of that locality the dunes were of immense size, and south of them Chara-teken-ula was only indistinctly visible. At the south-east corner of the lake Roborovskij struck a trail leading from a Kalmuck settlement to Uschaktal. In conclusion, he adds the following general information about the range.
»The mountain-range of Chara-teken-ula, the eastern part of which is known as Kisil-sangir, is not more than 20 versts from the south-east corner of the Baghraschköl, and extends east and west. Forty versts south-east from the same corner of the lake, a long arm of the mountains goes off towards the north-west, and finally becomes lost in the steppe; while the main range unites, five days' journey southeast of the locality of Toksun, with the range of Tschol-tagh belonging to the Tien-schan.»
* Trudij Tibetskoj Ekspeditsij 1889-90, vol. in, pp. 78-92.
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