Travel along routes in Kyrgyzstan.

"The mountains surrounding the Fergana region have excellent summering grounds; the tabulga tree grows there - it's found nowhere else. Tabulga is a tree with red bark; it's used to carve staffs, make whip handles, and make bird cages. Once planed, it's used to make featherless arrows. It's a very fine wood. It's brought as a gift to distant places. Some books say that yabruh as-sanam grows in these mountains, but nothing is heard of it anymore. I've heard of a certain herb that grows in the Yetti-Kent Mountains. The people there call this herb "aik-uti," and it has the properties of the herb "mihr-giyah." This is probably mihr-giyah, and those people call it by its name (aik-uti). There are turquoise placers and iron mines in these mountains."

"Babur-Nameh." Events of the year eight hundred and ninety-nine. Notes of Babur.

Unusual travel in Kyrgyzstan.

Ferghana Range extends from northwest to southeast. Its average height in western part is 3300-3500 m. a. s. l., to east it increases, reaching in area of junction with the Alai ridge 4500-4800 m. a. s. l. In same direction, number and size of glaciers are increasing.

In total there are 383 glaciers on the Ferghana ridge with an area of ​​195.8 sq. km. Glaciers are small, 83% of all glaciers are smaller than 0.5 sq. km., only 3 are larger than 2 sq. km. The number is dominated by high-altitude glaciers, but about 75% of the total area of ​​glaciation falls on the glaciers of the valleys.
The largest of them are located in the higher southeastern part of the ridge. The size of 9 glaciers exceeds 3 sq. km. The largest is Palgov complex valley glacier (5.4 kilometers long, 7.4 sq. km.). Most large glaciers have a northeastern exposure, since snow transport plays a significant role in the transfer of snow by strong westerly and southwesterly winds to the leeward northeastern slopes.
The height of the ends of the glaciers increases from northwest to southeast from 3150 to 4800 m. a s. l. Their surfaces are relatively clean, moraine covered less than 3% of the area. There are many cracks on the valley glaciers, there are icefalls.
The surface slope in firn areas is 7-8 °, in tongues, 10-15 °. (Glacier catalog. 1968-1978).

On Ferghana Range, area of ​​glaciation is about 15 kilometers square.

Largest glaciers of Ferghana Range.

Palgov Glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 5.4 kilometers, an area of ​​7.4 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3430 to 4660 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Kichi-Karakaman Glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 4.3 kilometers, an area of ​​6.6 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3590 to 4640 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn

 Kara-Kel glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 4.1 kilometers, an area of ​​6.4 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3880 to 4820 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Glacier No. 77 in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 4.1 kilometers, an area of ​​4.8 sq. km., located at an altitude of 3800 to 4700 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

The 4.0 km long Narzan Glacier in Ferghana Range.

An area of ​​2.8 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3860 to 4780 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Glacier No. 69 in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 3.9 kilometers, an area of ​​3.3 sq. km., located at an altitude of 3420 to 4840 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Glacier No. 63 in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 3.6 kilometers, an area of ​​2.6 sq. km., located at an altitude of 3700 to 4600 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Glacier No. 146 in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 3.4 kilometers, an area of ​​2.5 sq. km., located at an altitude of 4060 to 4920 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Chong-Karakaman Glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 3.3 kilometers, an area of ​​5.0 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3800 to 4700 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Glacier No. 58 in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 3.0 kilometers, an area of ​​3.3 sq. km., located at an altitude of 3640 to 4600 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Karakol Glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 2.8 kilometers, an area of ​​4.0 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 3800 to 4780 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Kuzgun-Iash Glacier in Ferghana Range.

With a length of 2.7 kilometers, an area of ​​3.2 sq. km., is located at an altitude of 4000 to 4680 m. a. s. l., belongs to the basin of the Arpa and Naryn rivers.

Authority:
"Glaciers." L.D. Dolgushin, G.B. Osipova. Series "Nature of the world." Moscow, the publishing house "Thought". 1989.

Photos by
Alexander Petrov.