mountain range on the frontier between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It is the most northerly range of the Pamirs and extends for about 150 miles (240 km) east-west in an unbroken chain of snow-covered peaks between the lush summer pastures of the broad Alai Valley between the Trans Alai and Alai Range to the north and the Muksu and Markansu valleys to the south. Its highest point is Lenin Peak, at 23,406 feet (7,134 metres). The total area of glaciation is some 460 square miles (1,190 square km). The vegetation on the lower slopes is steppe and alpine pasture. The Osh-Khorugh road, or Pamirs Highway, crosses Kyzyl-Art Pass, which lies at 14,042 feet (4,280 metres) in the eastern part of the range.