Sary-Tash
Kyrgyz: Сары-Таш | |
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Coordinates: 39°43′48″N 73°15′00″E / 39.73000°N 73.25000°E | |
Country | Kyrgyzstan |
Region | Osh Region |
District | Alay District |
Established | 1950 |
Elevation | 3,170 m (10,400 ft) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 2,337 |
Time zone | UTC+6 (KGT) |
Sary-Tash (Kyrgyz: Сары-Таш) is a village and major crossroads in the Alay Valley of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 2,337 in 2021.[1] Until 2012 it was an urban-type settlement.[2] Nearby towns and villages to the north include Ak-Bosogo (8 km or 5 mi) and Chagyr (14 km or 9 mi).
Although this remote village has only some shop-cafes, a petrol station and five guest houses (March 2016), it is an important road junction connecting China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its name is derived from Turkic roots and means "yellow-stone".[3]
To the north, M41 goes over the Taldyk Pass to Gülchö and Osh in the Ferghana Valley. To the south, after leaving the Alay Valley the M41 rises to the 4280m Kyzylart Pass into Tajikistan as part of the Pamir Highway. 80 kilometres (50 miles) to the east on A371 is the Irkestam pass to Kashgar, Xinjiang province, China. To the west, the A372 leads down the Alay Valley. The pass at the west end (towards Dushanbe, Tajikistan) is a bilateral border crossing closed to foreigners.[4]