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Ismoil Somoni Peak

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Ismoil Somoni Peak is a very tall mountain. It is the highest point in Tajikistan. This peak also used to be the highest in the Soviet Union. It sits inside the beautiful Pamir Range.

Mountaineers in Communism Peak in 1985
Mountaineers in Communism Peak in 1985

For a long time, the mountain was a mystery. In 1928, people thought it might be Mount Garmo. A German explorer saw a peak in 1913. He thought it was 6650 meters high. Later, a different survey found a peak at 7495 meters. This was the "mystery of the Garmo." Scientists had to solve it with more trips. They found the two peaks were not the same.

Many different people helped map this area. A Russian leader named V.F. Oshanin explored it in the 1880s. Later, many expeditions went to the central Pamirs. They tried to reach the Academy of Sciences Range. In 1931 and 1932, climbers led by Gorbunov and Krylenko went there. They climbed from both the east and the west. This work helped them find the true highest peak.

This mountain has had several different names. In 1933, it was named Stalin Peak. In 1962, the name changed to Communism Peak. This happened during a time called de-Stalinization. In 1998, the name changed one more time. Now, it is named after Ismail Samani. He was a ruler from the 9th and 10th centuries.

Many brave people have climbed to the top. Yevgeniy Abalakov and Nikolai Gorbunov were the first. They reached the summit on September 3, 1933. Lyudmila Agranovskaya was the first woman to climb it in 1969. In February 1986, a large group made a winter climb. There were 24 climbers in that group. Seven of them came from Uzbekistan.

Mountaineers in Communism Peak in 1985
Mountaineers in Communism Peak in 1985
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