Baisuntau


The Baisuntau mountain range 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 in a north-east/south-west direction. It culminates at an elevation of. 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, Festivalnaya and the Dark Star cave.