Forum Pakistan

Hindu Kush
This is the westernmost of the three major mountain systems in northern Pakistan, forming a barrier between the Indus and the Amu-Darya Valleys. The Hindi Kush is approximately 800 km. long from the west-southwest to the east-north-east. The system, at its widest, ranges from 50 to 350 km. The average height of the mountains is 4,500 meters above sea level. The highest peak, Trichmir, is 7,690 meters.

The name, which translates into 'Hindu Killer', is believed to derive from the fact that many Indians used to perish here on their perilious journey from southern Asia to Central Asia. According to another version it comes from the Persian meaning 'Indian Mountain'. The principal ranges are Baba, Pagman, and the Hindu Kush proper, as well as the *Hinduraj. The latter is divided into the western, central and eastern Hindu Kush by the valleys of the Surkhab and the Kokcha rivers. Formerly the Paraparniz Mountains, the western branch of the Hindu Kush, were also considered part of the Hindu Kush and in ancient times the name Parapamiz was applied to the entire Hindu Kush mountain system.

The high alpine-desert plateaus to the east, with their typical alpine relief with characteristic sharp peaks, and deep longitudinal and lattitudinal faults and valleys, give way to more moderate, round-topped mountains towards the west. The main mountain passes are Shibar (3,260 meters) and Salang (4,075 meters). The lowest mountain pass in the high desert area is Baroghil Mountain at approximately 3,777 metres above sea level. The Baroghil Pass is accessible for pack-saddle transport for only eight months of the year. The snow line lies at 5,000 metres. Glaciers and ice cover some 6,200 sq.km.
The Hindu Kush massif is a complex system of block mountains, called horst-anticlinarium in geological terms, that formed in the era of alpine building. Predominant in the rock composition are pre-Cambrian and Palaeozoic metamorphides, and Mesocainozoic sedimentary rocks. The Hindu Kush is a highly seismic area, rich in coal, high-quality iron and ores containing a variety of metals. There are occasional deposits of gold, lazurite, brimstone, graphite and other minerals.

The climate of the Hindu Kush is subtropical. The windward north-western slopes receive 400-800 mm. precipitation annually. At an altitude of 1,800 metres the dry steppes of the foothills are replaced with a belt of forest-steppe. Above 2,500 metres there are pine or mixed forests. Still higher there are alpine meadows and an eternal snow zone. The leeward south-eastern slopes are very dry with less than 300 mm. precipitation annually.

The vegetation consists of semi-desert plants and prickly shrubbery. The fauna is represented by various central Asian and mountain Indo-Himalayan species.