View source for Tian Shan

{{Short description|System of mountain ranges in Central Asia}}
{{redirect|Tianshan}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Tian Shan
| other_name = Tengir-Too, Tengri Tagh, 天山
| photo = Alpine meadows and snow-covered peaks in Khan Tengri Nature Park, Tien Shan.jpg
| photo_caption = Snow-covered peaks of central Tian Shan behind alpine meadows, with Nansen Peak (5,697&nbsp;m) in the middle
| map = Continental Asia#China
| country = {{hlist|[[Kyrgyzstan]]|[[China]]|[[Kazakhstan]]|[[Uzbekistan]]|[[Tajikistan]]}}
| highest = [[Jengish Chokusu]]
| elevation_m = 7439
| range_coordinates = {{coord|42|N|80|E|type:mountain_dim:500000|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates_ref = 
| coordinates = {{coord|42|02|06|N|80|07|32|E|type:mountain_region:KG|display=inline}}
| geology = 
| age = Mesozoic and Cenozoic
| orogeny = 
| embedded = {{designation list|embed=yes
|designation1 = WHS
|designation1_offname = Xinjiang Tianshan
|designation1_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2013 (37th session)|2013]] <small>(37th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
|designation1_type = Natural
|designation1_criteria = vii, ix
|designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1414 1414]
|designation1_free1name = Region
|designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia|Asia]]
|designation2 = WHS
|designation2_offname = Western Tien-Shan
|designation2_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2016 (40th session)|2016]] <small>(40th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
|designation2_type = Natural
|designation2_criteria = x
|designation2_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1490 1490]
|designation2_free1name = Region
|designation2_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia|Asia]]
}}
}}
{{infobox Chinese
|c=天山
|l="Mountains of Heaven"
|p=Tiānshān
|w={{tonesup|T'ien1-shan1}}
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|t|ian|1|.|sh|an|1}}
|j=Tin1-saan1
|y=Tīnsāan
|ci={{IPAc-yue|t|in|1|.|s|aan|1}}
|poj=Thiⁿ-soaⁿ
}}

The '''Tian Shan''',{{NoteTag|{{bulleted list|{{lang-zh |c = 天山 |p = Tiānshān |l = Heaven Mountain }}|{{langx|ky|Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо}}, {{lang|ky-Latn|Tengir-Too / Ala-Too}} |{{langx|dng|Тянсан}}, {{lang|dng-Latn|Tiansan}}|{{langx|otk|𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃}}, {{lang|otk-Latn|Tenğri tağ}}|{{langx|tr|Tanrı Dağı}}|{{langx|mn|Тэнгэр уул}}, {{lang|mn-Latn|Tenger uul}}|{{langx|ug|تەڭرىتاغ}}, {{lang|ug-Latn|Tengri tagh}}, {{lang|ug-Cyrl|Тәңри тағ}}|{{langx|kk|Тәңіртауы / Алатау}}, {{lang|kk-Latn|Täñırtauy / Alatau}}, {{lang|kk-Arab|تٵڭٸرتاۋى / الاتاۋ}}| {{lang|ky-Arab|تەڭىر-توو / الا-توو}}|{{langx|uz|Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘}}, {{lang|uz-Cyrl|Тян-Шан / Тангритоғ}}, {{lang|uz-Arab|تيەن-شەن / تەڭرىتاغ}}}}}} also known as the '''Tengri Tagh'''<ref name="Prichard281">{{cite book |first=James |last=Prichard |title = History of the Asiatic Nations |edition = 3rd |volume = IV |year=1844 |page=281 }}</ref> or '''Tengir-Too''',<ref>{{cite web |title = Ensemble Tengir-Too |url = https://www.akdn.org/akmi/performance/ensemble-tengir-too |website = Aga Khan Trust for Culture |access-date = 5 July 2019 |archive-date = 5 July 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214933/https://www.akdn.org/akmi/performance/ensemble-tengir-too |url-status = live }}</ref> is a large system of [[mountain range]]s in [[Central Asia]]. The highest peak is [[Jengish Chokusu]] at {{convert|7439|m|ft|0}} high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is at the [[Turpan Depression]], which is {{Cvt|154|m|}} [[below sea level]].<ref name="readersnatural">{{cite book |title=Natural Wonders of the World |publisher=Reader's Digest Association, Inc. |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-89577-087-5 |editor1-last=Scheffel |editor1-first=Richard L. |location=USA |page=378 |editor2-last=Wernet |editor2-first=Susan J.}}</ref>

The Tian Shan is sacred in [[Tengrism]]. Its second-highest peak is known as [[Khan Tengri]], which can be translated as "Lord of the Spirits".<ref name="myths">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ7Lxae-bmIC&pg=PA163 |title=Myths and Legends |first=Philip |last=Wilkinson |page=163 |publisher=Stacey International |date=2 October 2003 |isbn=978-1900988612 |access-date=11 September 2016 |archive-date=14 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114082547/https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ7Lxae-bmIC&pg=PA163 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the 2013 [[World Heritage Committee|Conference on World Heritage]], the eastern portion of Tian Shan in western China's Xinjiang Region was listed as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.163.com/13/0621/13/91T6F65N00014JB6.html |title=新疆天山成功申遗 |access-date=2013-06-22 |archive-date=2013-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627220820/http://news.163.com/13/0621/13/91T6F65N00014JB6.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The western portion in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan was then listed in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Tien-Shan |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1490 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |access-date=17 July 2016 |language=en |archive-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707010319/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1490 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Geography ==

[[file:Seidenstrasse GMT Ausschnitt Zentralasien.jpg|thumb|Tian Shan with the ancient [[Silk Road]]]]

The Tian Shan range is located north and west of the [[Taklamakan Desert]] and directly north of the [[Tarim Basin]]. It straddles the border regions of [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Xinjiang]] in [[Northwest China]]. To the south, it connects with the [[Pamir Mountains]], while to north and east, it meets the [[Altai Mountains]] of [[Mongolia]].

The Tian Shan range extends eastwards for approximately 2,900 kilometers from [[Tashkent]], Uzbekistan.<ref name="readersnatural" /> It forms part of the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] [[orogenic belt]], resulting from the collision of the [[Indian Plate|Indian]] and [[Eurasian Plate|Eurasian]] tectonic plates during the [[Cenozoic]] era. The range encompasses the [[Bogda Shan]] in the east, as defined by both Western and Chinese cartography.

The Tian Shan's highest peak is [[Jengish Chokusu]] (also known as Victory Peak), shared by Kyrgyzstan and China. At {{convert|7439|m|ft|0}} high, it is the [[Geography of Kyrgyzstan|highest point in Kyrgyzstan]].<ref name="readersnatural" /> The Tian Shan's second highest peak, [[Khan Tengri]] (King Heaven), straddles the [[Kazakhstan]]-[[Kyrgyzstan]]-[[China]] tripoint and at {{convert|7010|m}}, is the [[Geography of Kazakhstan|highest point of Kazakhstan]]. [[Mountaineering|Mountaineers]] class these as the two northernmost peaks surpassing {{convert|7000|m}} in the world.

The [[Torugart Pass]], at {{convert|3752|m|ft|0}}, marks the border between Kyrgyzstan and [[Xinjiang]]. The lower-altitude, forested [[Alatau]] ranges in the northern Tian Shan is home to [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]-speaking pastoral tribes.

The Tian Shan is separated from the [[Tibetan Plateau]] by the [[Taklimakan Desert]] and the [[Tarim Basin]] to the south. The [[Syr Darya]], [[Ili River]] and [[Tarim River]] that originate in the Tian Shan. The [[Aksu Canyon]] is a prominent feature in the mountain range's northwestern section.

Continuous [[permafrost]] typically forms in the Tian Shan at elevations above 3,500-3,700 meters. Discontinuous permafrost can be found as low as 2,000 meters in specific locations influenced by unique topographical and climatic conditions, though it generally occurs between 2,700 and 3,300 meters altitude.<ref>{{citation|contribution=Geocryology in Mt. Tianshan|first=A.P.|last=Gorbunov|title=PERMAFROST: Sixth International Conference. Proceedings. July 5–9, Beijing, China|volume=2|publisher=South China University of Technology Press|pages=1105–1107|isbn=978-7-5623-0484-5|year=1993}}</ref>

The Tian Shan's glaciers are rapidly receding, losing 27% or 5.4 billion tons of ice since 1961— nearly four times the global average of 7%. By 2050, half of the remaining ice is projected to disappear.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/central-asia-mountain-range-has-lost-a-quarter-of-ice-mass-in-50-years-study-says-1439823730|title=Central Asia Mountain Range Has Lost a Quarter of Ice Mass in 50 Years, Study Says|last=Naik|first=Gautam|date=August 17, 2015|access-date=August 18, 2015|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|archive-date=August 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818015829/http://www.wsj.com/articles/central-asia-mountain-range-has-lost-a-quarter-of-ice-mass-in-50-years-study-says-1439823730|url-status=live}}</ref>

Russian explorer [[Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky|Peter Semenov]] was one of the first Europeans to extensively document the Tian Shan in the 1850s, ultimately changing his family name to refer to the mountains.

== {{Anchor|Kuruk Tagh|Kuruk-tagh}} Ranges==
The Tian Shan have a number of named ranges which are often mentioned separately (all distances are approximate):
* [[Barkol Tagh]] (Barkol Shan)
* Bei Shan
* [[Bogda Shan]]
* [[Borohoro Shan]]
* [[Irenchabirga]]
* [[Qarliq Tagh]] (Qarlik Shan, Karkik Tagh, Karlik Shan, Harlik Shan)
* [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range]] (Kyrgyz Alatau, Kyrgyz Range, Alexander Range)
* [[Kakshaal Too]] (Kokschaal Tau, Qaqşaal Too)
* [[Küngöy Ala-Too Range]] (Kungej-Alatau, Kungey Alatau, Kungoy Ala-Too, Küngei Alataw. Kungey Alataw)
* [[Ketmen Ridge]]
* Kuruk Tagh (Quruq Tagh, Kuruktagh, Kuluketage, Kuruktage Shan)
* [[Talas Alatau]] (Talas Alatow, Talas Ala-Too)
* [[Suusamyr Too]] 
* [[Terskey Alatoo]] (Terskey Alatau, Terskej Alatau, Teskey Alatoo)
* [[Trans-Ili Alatau]] (Ile Alatau, Ile Alatauy, Zailiisky Alatau, Transili Alatau)

In [[China]] the Tian Shan starts from about {{convert|600|to|400|km}} east of [[Ürümqi]], north of [[Kumul City]] (Hami) with the [[Qarlik Tagh]] and the [[Barkol Shan|Barkol Mountains]]. Then the [[Bogda Shan]] (god mountains) run from {{convert|350|to|40|km}} east of Ürümqi. Then there is a low area between Ürümqi and the [[Turfan Depression]]. The [[Borohoro Mountains]] start just south of [[Ürümqi]] and run west-northwest {{convert|450|km}} separating [[Dzungaria]] from the [[Ili River]] basin. Their north end abuts on the {{convert|200|km}} [[Dzungarian Alatau]] which runs east northeast along Sino-Kazakh border. They start {{convert|50|km}} east of [[Taldykorgan]] in Kazakhstan and end at the [[Dzungarian Gate]]. The [[Dzungarian Alatau]] in the north, the [[Borohoro Mountains]] in the middle and the [[Ketmen Ridge]] in the south make a reversed Z or S, the northeast enclosing part of Dzungaria and the southwest enclosing the upper Ili valley.

[[File:Kyrgyzstan Topography.png|thumb|upright=1.59|Map of [[Kyrgyzstan]] (borders marked in red). The Tian Shan makes up large parts of southern Kyrgyzstan. The indentation on the west is the Fergana Valley]]
[[File:Tian Shan.jpg|thumb|Map of Tian Shan]]
[[File:Karakol Valley.jpg|thumb|left|Tian Shan as viewed from the Karakol valley ([[Issyk-Kul Region]], Kyrgyzstan)]]
[[File:Yssykkoel-lake.jpg|thumb|Snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan seen from an [[Issyk Kul Lake]] beach]]

In [[Kyrgyzstan]] the mainline of the Tian Shan continues as Narat Range from the base of the [[Borohoro]]s west {{convert|570|km}} to the point where China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan meet. Here is the highest part of the range – the Central Tian Shan, with [[Peak Pobeda]] ([[Kakshaal Too]] range) and [[Khan Tengri]]. West of this, the Tian Shan split into an 'eye', with [[Issyk Kul Lake]] in its center. The south side of the lake is the [[Terskey Alatau]] and the north side the [[Kyungey Ala-Too]] (shady and sunny Ala-Too). North of the Kyungey Ala-Too and parallel to it is the [[Trans-Ili Alatau]] in Kazakhstan just south of [[Almaty]]. West of the eye, the range continues {{convert|400|km}} as the [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too]], separating [[Chüy Region]] from [[Naryn Region]] of Kyrgyzstan and then Kazakhstan from the upper valley of the river [[Talas (river)|Talas]], the south side of which is the {{convert|200|km}} [[Talas Ala-Too Range]] ('Ala-too' is a Kyrgyz spelling, while ‘Alatau’ is a Kazakh spelling). At the east end of the Talas Alatau the [[Suusamyr Too]] range runs southeast enclosing the [[Suusamyr Valley]] or plateau.

As for the area south of the [[Fergana Valley]] there is an {{convert|800|km}} group of mountains that curves west-southwest from south of Issyk Kul Lake separating the [[Tarim Basin]] from the [[Fergana Valley]]. The [[Fergana Range]] runs northeast towards the Talas Ala-Too and separates the upper Naryn basin from Fergana proper. The southern side of these mountains merge into the [[Pamirs]] in Tajikistan ([[Alay Mountains]] and [[Trans-Alay Range]]). West of this is the [[Turkestan Range]], which continues almost to Samarkand.

==Ice Age==
The Tian Shan plateau, stretching 100 to 120&nbsp;km wide, is located on the northern margin of the [[Tarim Basin]] between the Kokshaal-Tau mountain chain to the south and the Terskey Alatau mountain chain to the north. The Kokshaal-Tau extends for 570&nbsp;km from Pik Dankowa in the west to Pik Pobeda in the east-northeast. This mountain chain, along with the parallel Terskey Alatau and the Tian Shan plateau in between, were covered by connected [[Ice stream|ice-stream-networks]] and a [[plateau glacier]] during glacial times. The only remaining interglacial remnant of this glaciation is the 61&nbsp;km long South Inylschek glacier. The outlet glacier tongues of the plateau glacier flowed northward down to Lake [[Issyk Kul]], calving in this 160&nbsp;km long lake.

Similarly, strong glaciation was present in the high mountain area of the [[Kungey Alatau]], which stretches for 230&nbsp;km north of Issyk Kul and connects to the mountain foreland near Alma Ata. The glacial glaciers from the Kungey Alatau also calved into Lake Issyk Kul, with the Ak-Sai valley glacier developing a mountain foreland glacier.<ref name="meteorological1994" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kuhle |first1=M. |title=Pamir and Tian Shan. Contribution of the Quaternary History. International Workshop at the University of Bayreuth |last2=Schröder |first2=N. |year=2000 |editor-last=Zech |editor-first=W. |location=Bayreuth, University Bayreuth |page=8 |chapter=New Investigations and Results on the Maximum Glaciation of the Kirgisen Shan and Tian Shan Plateau between Kokshaal Tau and Terskey Alatau}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated175" /> The Chon-Kemin valley was glaciated up to its inflow into the Chu valley.<ref name="meteorological1994">{{cite book |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=1994 |chapter=New Findings on the Ice-cover between Issyk-Kul and K2 (Tian Shan, Karakorum) during the Last Glaciation |title=Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Karakorum and Kunlun Mountains (ISKKM), Kashi, China, June 1992 |editor1 =Zheng Du |editor2=Zhang Qingsong |editor3=Pan Yusheng |publisher=China Meteorological Press |location=Beijing |pages=185–197 |isbn=7-5029-1800-0 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grosswald |first1=M. G. |last2=Kuhle |first2=M. |last3=Fastook |first3=J. L. |year=1994 |title=Würm Glaciation of Lake Issyk-Kul Area, Tian Shan Mts.: A Case Study in Glacial History of Central Asia |journal=[[GeoJournal]] |volume=33 |issue=2/3 |pages=273–310 |doi=10.1007/BF00812878 |bibcode=1994GeoJo..33..273G |s2cid=140639502 }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated175">{{cite book |last=Kuhle |first=M. |year=2004 |chapter=The High Glacial (Last Ice Age and LGM) glacier cover in High- and Central Asia. Accompanying text to the mapwork in hand with detailed references to the literature of the underlying empirical investigations |editor-last=Ehlers |editor-first=J. |editor2-last=Gibbard |editor2-first=P. L. |title=Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology |volume=3 |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Elsevier |pages=175–199 |isbn=0-444-51462-7}}</ref>

Altogether, the glacial Tian Shan glaciation occupied an area of approximately 118,000 square kilometers. The glacier snowline was about 1200m lower during the last ice age than it is today. This would result in a depression of the average annual temperature of 7.2 to 8.4&nbsp;°C for the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] compared with today, assuming a comparable precipitation ratio.<ref name="meteorological1994"/>

==Ecology==
[[File:Kuerdening valley china.jpg|thumb|Koldeneng Valley in [[Ili Prefecture]]]] 
The Tian Shan holds important forests of Schrenk's spruce (''[[Picea schrenkiana]]'') at altitudes of over {{convert|2000|m}}; the lower slopes have unique natural forests of wild [[Persian Walnut|walnut]]s and [[apple]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=How the apple took over the planet |first=Erika |last=Janik |date=October 25, 2011 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |url=https://www.salon.com/test/2011/10/25/how_the_apple_took_over_the_planet/ |access-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809151305/https://www.salon.com/test/2011/10/25/how_the_apple_took_over_the_planet/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Tian Shan in its immediate geological past was kept from glaciation due to the "protecting" warm influence of the [[Indian Ocean]] [[monsoon]] climate. This defined its ecological features which could sustain its distinctive ecosphere. The mountains were subjected to constant geological changes with constantly evolving drainage systems which affected the patterns of vegetation, as well as exposing fertile soil for newly emerging seedlings to thrive in.

[[Tulip]]s originated in the Tian Shan Mountains. The plant then made its way to Turkey via the [[Silk Road]] and became a symbol of the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>Great Courses: 'The Botanist's Eye'(DVD 2 chapter 7) by Catherine Kleier, PhD from California Polytechnic State University.</ref>

Ancestors of important crop vegetation were established and thrived in the area, among them: apricots (''[[Prunus armeniaca]]''), pears (''[[Pyrus]]'' spp.), pomegranates (''[[Punica granatum]]''), figs (''[[Ficus]]''), cherries (''[[Prunus avium]]'') and mulberries (''[[Morus (plant)|Morus]]''). The Tian Shan region also included important animals like bears, deer, and wild boar, which helped to spread seeds and expand ecological diversity.

Among the vegetation colonizing the Tian Shan came, likely via birds from the east, the ancestors of what we know as the "sweet" apple. The fruit probably then looked like a tiny, long-stalked, bitter apple something like [[Malus baccata]], the Siberian crab. The pips may have been carried in a bird's crop or clotted onto feet or feathers.

{{Cquote|quote=What natural features of the unique Tian Shan might have contributed to this rigorous selection program? Time is, as we have seen, not a problem. The turnover of individual trees is likewise conducive to the rapid evolution of a tree species, as is the fact that sweet apples are now, at least for all practical purposes, self-incompatible—that is, they cannot pollinate themselves.  Therefore each apple tree within the forest and even each pip, usually five, within each individual fruit will be different. There are many apples on a mature tree, so natural selection has a rich and diverse population upon which to work. Birds, of course, eat all manner of fruit. But most birds eat seeds—a dietary feature not conducive either to the selection or spread of a fruit tree. Sweet apples are often eviscerated by birds, but the seeds are frequently left in the empty shell of the pome. The reason is that apple (and pear and quince) seeds are rich in cyanoglycosides, which are highly repellent, particularly to birds... Moreover, the placenta of the apple fruit, the womb, contains inhibitory substances that prevent the germination of the apple seed in situ. This is a commonly observed phenomenon in fruits as Michael Evenari showed in 1949. So what then does, or did, distribute the original apple seed?  The bear...|author=[[Barrie E. Juniper]]<ref>{{cite journal |first=Barrie E. |last=Juniper |title=The Mysterious Origin of the Sweet Apple: On its way to a grocery counter near you, this delicious fruit traversed continents and mastered coevolution |journal=American Scientist |volume=95 |issue=1 |year=2007 |pages=44–51 |doi=10.1511/2007.63.44 |jstor=27858899 }}</ref>}}

The strain of ''Y. pestis'' which caused the [[bubonic plague]] now know as the [[Black Death]] may have originated in the Tian Shan, spreading along the [[Silk Road]] and killing half of Europe's population in the mid 1300s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/15/health/black-death-plague-source-identified-scn/index.html|publisher=CNN|last=Hunt|first=Katie|title=DNA analysis reveals source of Black Death|date=June 15, 2022|access-date=June 18, 2022|archive-date=18 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618150441/https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/15/health/black-death-plague-source-identified-scn/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Climate==

Tian Shan has an [[alpine climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''ETH'').

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = Tian Shan ([[Urumqi Glacier No.1]]), (elevation {{convert|3539|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
|Jan record high C = 0.4
|Feb record high C = 2.2
|Mar record high C = 8.5
|Apr record high C = 13.2
|May record high C = 15.5
|Jun record high C = 15.6
|Jul record high C = 19.2
|Aug record high C = 18.5
|Sep record high C = 16.4
|Oct record high C = 11.2
|Nov record high C = 6.5
|Dec record high C = 3.2
|Jan record low C = -39.7
|Feb record low C = -34.7
|Mar record low C = -31.2
|Apr record low C = -24.6
|May record low C = -18.8
|Jun record low C = -12.9
|Jul record low C = -6.9
|Aug record low C = -14.4
|Sep record low C = -17.5
|Oct record low C = -21.8
|Nov record low C = -36.4
|Dec record low C = -35.5
|Jan high C = 	-10.8
|Feb high C = 	-8.6
|Mar high C = 	-4.1
|Apr high C = 	1.3
|May high C = 	5.0
|Jun high C = 	8.7
|Jul high C = 	10.8
|Aug high C = 	10.5
|Sep high C = 	6.9
|Oct high C = 	0.9
|Nov high C = 	-4.8
|Dec high C = 	-8.9
|Jan mean C = 	-15.3
|Feb mean C = 	-13.5
|Mar mean C = 	-9.5
|Apr mean C = 	-4.3
|May mean C = 	-0.2
|Jun mean C = 	3.7
|Jul mean C = 	5.9
|Aug mean C = 	5.3
|Sep mean C = 	1.5
|Oct mean C = 	-4.1
|Nov mean C = 	-9.5
|Dec mean C = 	-13.4
|Jan low C = 	-19.1
|Feb low C = 	-17.6
|Mar low C = 	-13.8
|Apr low C = 	-8.4
|May low C = 	-4.2
|Jun low C = 	0.0
|Jul low C = 	2.2
|Aug low C = 	1.6
|Sep low C = 	-2.2
|Oct low C = 	-7.8
|Nov low C = 	-13.2
|Dec low C = 	-17.2
|precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 	2.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 	4.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 	11.8
|Apr precipitation mm = 	34.3
|May precipitation mm = 	59.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 	108.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 	133.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 	98.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 	40.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 	14.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 	5.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 	2.9
|Jan humidity = 	48
|Feb humidity = 	50
|Mar humidity = 	52
|Apr humidity = 	59
|May humidity = 	63
|Jun humidity = 	70
|Jul humidity = 	71
|Aug humidity = 	67
|Sep humidity = 	61
|Oct humidity = 	54
|Nov humidity = 	50
|Dec humidity = 	48
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 	3.6
|Feb precipitation days = 	5.5
|Mar precipitation days = 	9.0
|Apr precipitation days = 	14.4
|May precipitation days = 	18.4
|Jun precipitation days = 	21.6
|Jul precipitation days = 	23.1
|Aug precipitation days = 	19.4
|Sep precipitation days = 	13.7
|Oct precipitation days = 	8.5
|Nov precipitation days = 	4.7
|Dec precipitation days = 	3.6
|year precipitation days = 	
|Jan sun = 	144.1
|Feb sun = 	172.5
|Mar sun = 	231.0
|Apr sun = 	250.5
|May sun = 	250.8
|Jun sun = 	215.9
|Jul sun = 	212.7
|Aug sun = 	232.7
|Sep sun = 	225.2
|Oct sun = 	208.4
|Nov sun = 	153.4
|Dec sun = 	134.2
|year sun = 	
| Jan percentsun = 	49
| Feb percentsun = 	57
| Mar percentsun = 	62
| Apr percentsun = 	62
| May percentsun = 	55
| Jun percentsun = 	47
| Jul percentsun = 	46
| Aug percentsun = 	55
| Sep percentsun = 	61
| Oct percentsun = 	62
| Nov percentsun = 	54
| Dec percentsun = 	48
| year percentsun =	
|Jan snow days = 	5.0
|Feb snow days = 	6.5
|Mar snow days = 	9.9
|Apr snow days = 	14.9
|May snow days = 	19.1
|Jun snow days = 	15.2
|Jul snow days = 	9.8
|Aug snow days = 	9.3
|Sep snow days = 	13.4
|Oct snow days = 	10.0
|Nov snow days = 	5.6
|Dec snow days = 	4.4
|year snow days = 	
|source 1 = [[China Meteorological Administration]]<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |language = zh-hans |access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |language = zh-hans | access-date =10 October 2023 |title=Experience Template }}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Tian Shan (Kyrgyzstan weather station), 1991–2020 normals
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Y
|Jan mean C = -19.4
|Feb mean C = -16.8
|Mar mean C = -10.9
|Apr mean C = -4.5
|May mean C = -0.1
|Jun mean C = 3.3
|Jul mean C = 5.6
|Aug mean C = 5.0
|Sep mean C = 1.4
|Oct mean C = -5.1
|Nov mean C = -12.1
|Dec mean C = -17.3
|year mean C = -5.9
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name= NOAA9120>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Kyrgyzstan/CSV/Tian-Shan_36982.csv
|title = Tian Shan Climate Normals 1991-2020
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = April 14, 2024
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240414033857/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Kyrgyzstan/CSV/Tian-Shan_36982.csv
|archive-date = 2024-04-14}}</ref>}}

==Religion==
===Tengrism===
In [[Tengrism]], Khan [[Tengri]], is the lord of all spirits and the religion's supreme deity, and it is the name given to the second highest peak of Tian Shan.<ref name="myths"/>

== Name ==
One of the earliest historical references to these mountains may be related to the [[Xiongnu]] word ''Qilian'' ({{lang-zh|s=祁连|t=祁連|first=t|p=Qílián}}), which, according to [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] commentator [[Yan Shigu]], is the Xiongnu word for "sky" or "heaven".<ref>{{cite book |author=班固 |author-link=Ban Gu |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qo9kCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT985 |title=漢書: 顏師古註 Hanshu: Yan Shigu Commentary |date=2015-08-20 |quote=祁連山即天山也，匈奴呼天為祁連 (translation: Qilian Mountain is the Tian Shan, the Xiongnu called the sky qilian) |access-date=2016-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114082557/https://books.google.com/books?id=qo9kCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT985 |archive-date=2023-01-14 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sima Qian]], in the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', mentioned ''Qilian'' in relation to the homeland of the [[Yuezhi]], and the term is believed to refer to the Tian Shan rather than the range {{convert|1500|km}} further east now known as the [[Qilian Mountains]].<ref>{{citation |last=Liu |first=Xinru |title=Migration and Settlement of the Yuezhi-Kushan: Interaction and Interdependence of Nomadic and Sedentary Societies |date=Fall 2001 |journal=Journal of World History |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=261–291 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_world_history/v012/12.2liu.html |doi=10.1353/jwh.2001.0034 |s2cid=162211306 |author-link=Xinru Liu|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Mallory, J. P. |url=https://archive.org/details/tarimmummiesanci00mall/page/58 |title=The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West |author2=Mair, Victor H. |publisher=Thames & Hudson |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-500-05101-6 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/tarimmummiesanci00mall/page/58 58] |url-access=registration |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> The name of the [[Otgontenger]] in [[Mongolia]] has the same meaning.

==See also==
{{Portal|China|Mountains}}
* [[Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky]]
* [[Tectonics of the Tian Shan]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* ''The Contemporary Atlas of China''. 1988. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. Reprint 1989. Sydney, NSW: Collins Publishers Australia.
* ''The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World''. Eleventh Edition. 2003. London, England: Times Books Group Ltd.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tian Shan}}
* [http://mountains.tos.ru/tiensh.htm Russian mountaineering site] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424103310/http://mountains.tos.ru/tiensh.htm |date=2013-04-24 }})
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080609175013/http://concise.britannica.com/dday/print?articleId=110526&fullArticle=true&tocId=47937 Tien Shan]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Tian-shan | volume= 26 |last= Bealby |first=John Thomas | pages = 909&ndash;911 |short=1}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/UNUChannel#p/a/u/2/G2oHQ6Al0kQ United Nations University (2009) digital video "Finding a place to feed: Kyrgyz shepherds & pasture loss": Shepherd shares family's observations and adaptation to the changing climate in highland pastures of Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains] <small>Accessed 1 December 2009</small>

{{Mountain ranges of China}}
{{World Heritage Sites in China}}{{World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan}}{{Xinjiang topics}}
{{Sacred Mountains of China}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tian Shan| ]]<!--eponymous cat is 1st-->
[[Category:Geography of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Geography of East Asia]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of China]]
[[Category:Sites along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in China]]