Ismail Somoni

Ismail Somoni is Tajikistan's highest peak, towering at 24,590 feet in height. Ismail Somoni, like Korzhenevskaya, is situated in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and its parent range is the Academy of Sciences Range, which is part of the larger Pamir mountain range. The tallest of the five snow leopard summits is Ismail Somoni.

The peak was dubbed Stalin Peak in 1933, but it was renamed Communist Mountain in 1962 as part of the Soviet Union's de-Stalinization drive. Tajikistan was dubbed the peak of Ismail Somoni after Isma'il ibn Ahmad (849-907), the guy regarded as the greatest monarch of the Samanid Empire (819-999). Yevgeniy Abalakov, a Soviet climber, made the first ascent of the peak in 1933. The ascent begins at the base camp of Moskvina Glade (4200m), which can only be reached by helicopter. As part of their acclimatization, many climbers try Vorobeva peak (5691 m) or Chetyreh peak (6299 m). Four more camps are needed to reach the remarkable tiny rocky top, which offers amazing panoramic views of the Pamirs and China.

Height: 24,590 feet

Location: Northwestern Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan