Khazret Sultan

The main peak in Uzbekistan is Khazret-Sultan Peak (4,643m). It is part of the Pamir-Alay mountain chain, and is part of the Hissar Range. The first ascent is thought to have occurred in 1961, and the peak was dubbed Peak of the XXII Party Congress during Soviet times, but this name was dropped when Uzbekistan gained independence, and there is no documentary evidence of the conquest, nor is there any guarantee that this is the same peak.

In 2010, a party of Uzbek climbers made the first official ascent to the unnamed summit. They discovered the remains of two more climbers, an Englishman and his Tajik guide. The climbers classified the route as 3A in the conditions of the ascent, but it is probable that it would be more difficult in another season, when there is less snow.

Following the ascent, the mountain was given the name Khazret-Sultan, after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a Sufi poet, philosopher, Islamic saint, and founder of the Yasawiya Sufi school. The life of Khazret-Sultan has nothing to do with modern-day Uzbekistan; he was born, lived, and died in Kazakhstan in the 12th century. But he lived in the Karhanid state, which had Samarkand as its capital.

Location: Tajikistan, Central Asia, Asia

Elevation: 4,643m

Range: Central Asia Ranges