Sary-Tash

Sary-Tash
Сарыташ

Sary Tash village with the Pamir mountains
Sary-Tash
Coordinates: KG 39°43′48″N 73°15′00″E / 39.73000°N 73.25000°E / 39.73000; 73.25000Coordinates: KG 39°43′48″N 73°15′00″E / 39.73000°N 73.25000°E / 39.73000; 73.25000
Country Kyrgyzstan
Region Osh Region
District Alay District
Established 1950
Elevation 3,170 m (10,400 ft)
Population (2009)
 • Total 1,427
Time zone KGT (UTC+6)
Houses in Sary Tash

Sary-Tash is an urban-type settlement and major crossroads in the Alay Valley of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan. Nearby towns and villages to the north include Akbosaga (5 miles), Shumkar (7 miles) and Chagyr (9 miles).

Although this remote village has only some shop-cafes, a petrol station and five guest houses (March 2016), it is an important road junction. Its name is derived from Turkic roots meaning "yellow-stone".[1]

To the north, M41 goes Over the Taldyk Pass to Gulcha and Osh in the Ferghana Valley. One travel guide describes this as spectacular and one of the most beautiful drives in Kyrgyzstan. To the south, after leaving the Alay Valley the M41 deteriorates quickly and rises to the 4280m Kyzylart Pass into Tajikistan. This route requires considerable preparation and paper work. The route is little used and there are few services between Sary-Tash and Murgab. This is part of the Pamir Highway. Fifty miles to the east on A371 is the Irkestam pass into Xinjiang, China. To the west, A372 leads down the Alay Valley. The pass at the west end is closed to foreigners.

Notes

  1. ↑ Taylor, Isaac (1898). Names and their histories: a handbook of historical geography and topographical nomenclature (2nd ed.). Rivingtons. p. 317.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.