| Muztagh Ata | |
|---|---|
| مۇزتاغ ئاتا (Uyghur) མུཛ་ཏག་རི་རྩེ། (Standard Tibetan) 慕士塔格峰 (Chinese) | |
 Muztagh Ata, as viewed from the Karakoram Highway | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,546 m (24,757 ft)[1][2] Ranked 49th |
| Prominence | 2,698 m (8,852 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 38°16′42″N75°06′57″E / 38.27833°N 75.11583°E /38.27833; 75.11583[1] |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Father of ice mountains |
| Language of name | Uyghur |
| Geography | |
  Muztagh Ata Location of Muztagh Ata within the Pamir range in Xinjiang, China | |
| Location | Xinjiang,China |
| Parent range | Pamir Range |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1956 by E. A. Beletsky et al. |
| Easiest route | Glacier/snow climb |
Muztagh Ata (meaning 'Ice Mountain Father' inTurkic languages), formerly known asMount Tagharma andWi-tagh, is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of theTibetan Plateau, with an elevation of 7,546 m (24,757 ft).[2] It is sometimes regarded as being part of theKunlun Mountains, although physically it is more closely connected to thePamirs. It is one of the relatively easier 7,000 m peaks in the world to climb, due to its gentle western slope and the comparatively drier weather ofXinjiang, though a thorough acclimatization period and a very strong physical condition are crucial for success.
Muztagh Ata lies just south ofKongur Tagh, the highest peak of this somewhat isolated range that is separated from the main chain of the Kunlun by the largeYarkand River valley, and thus generally included in the "EasternPamirs".[3] Not far to the north and east of this group are the lowlands of theTarim Basin and theTaklamakan Desert. TheKarakoram Highway passes very close to both peaks as well asKarakul Lake, from which the mountain is conveniently viewed. The closest city is to the mountain isTashkurgan, the westernmost town in China and very close to the border withTajikistan andPakistan.
According to Michael Witzel:[4]
theṚgveda mentions the mountain Mūjavant (“Having Mūja”), from where the bestsoma comes. A Muža tribe is also found in theAvesta in an eastern area that hasVedic-like names. The name seems to survive as the impressive 7,549-meter-high Muzh Tagh Ata Mountain in theUyghur and Sariqoli (Saka) lands of southwestern Xinjiang.
TheSwedish explorer and geographerSven Hedin made the first recorded attempt to climb Muztagh Ata, in 1894. On his first expedition in 1900Aurel Stein reached the summit while crossing the Karakorum Pass.[5] Additional attempts were made in 1900, 1904 and 1947, the last by the team ofEric Shipton andBill Tilman who came very close to the summit but were turned back due to cold and deep snow.[6]
The first ascent of the peak was in 1956 by a large party ofChinese andSoviet climbers which includedLiu Lianman andXu Jing from China and, from the Soviet Union,Kirill Kuzmin [ru] and the expedition leaderEvgeny Andrianovich Beletsky. They ascended via the west ridge, which is now the standard route.[7]
Since the first ascent, many ascents of Muztagh Ata have been made. In 1980, a party led byNed Gillette made a ski ascent/descent of the standard route, the first ski ascent of a mountain over 7,500 m (24,600 ft). An ascent of the much harder south-east ridge was made in 2000 and repeated in 2006.[8] A secondary route at the west side of the mountain was first climbed in the summer of 2005.[citation needed] In 2011, the Swedish climber Anneli Wester camped on the summit overnight after climbing the mountain solo and alpine style.[citation needed] In 2013,Aron Ralston, the man who famously amputated his own arm during a hiking accident in 2003, made the summit without his compatriot Michael Ash, who sustained a lung injury and was forced to return to base camp.[9]
