Khan-Tengri ("Lord of the Spirits") is considered one of the most beautiful peaks of the central Tien-Shan. A picture-perfect pointed pyramid, it can be seen from almost everywhere. The mountain has long been wreathed in legend. It is still called Tengritau (God's mountain) and Kantau (the bloody mountain), from the red glow of the peak at sunset.
    This famous peak is the highest point in Kazakhstan (7,010 m) and the most northerly 7,000er in the world. Themoun-'tain sits on the border of three states - China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The summit of Khan-Tengri is difficult to reach and therefore extremely interesting to both mountaineers and lovers of adventure holidays. The , northern part of the mountain is in Kazakhstan. It is many a mountaineer's dream to climb the north face of Khan-Tengri. It normally takes 6-14 days to zakhstani mountaineer Deni Umbko set a world record of 12 hours 21 minutes at the intema tional Khan-Tengri festival. Th first ascent was made in 1931 b the Soviet mountaineer Mikha Pogrebetsky.
    The Tien-Shan mountain extend for over 1,500 km in south-eastern Kazakhstan. Th highest summit, Pobedy Pea (7,439 m), in Kyrgyzstan, is a challenging as an 8,000e Looking down from a helicor ter, you can see magical ernei aid-green tongues of ice. Thes are the longest glaciers - nort and south Inylchek (56 km Lake Mertzbacher was forme where they meet; it was disco^ eredin 1903 by the Germane explorer Baron von Mertzbache. The Bayankol region (next t Narynkol) is a land of Alpine va leys, lakes and rivers rarely visil ed by tourists. A special perm is required to enter the central Tien-Shan due to its proximity to the Chinese border