Kuhitang Mountains

Kuhitang is a mountain range in the south-western part of Pamir-Alai, on the territory of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is the southern continuation of the Boysuntau Range. The range extends from the Amu Darya valley to the Sherabad river gorge for 100 kilometers. The Kuhitang mountain range, on which the Surkhan State Reserve is located, is one of the two hundred ecoregions of global importance identified by the World Wildlife Fund. Surkhan State Reserve is located at an altitude of 850 to 3137 metres above sea level on the eastern slopes of Kuhitang Mountains in Sherabad district of Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan, in the southwestern spurs of the Gissar range of the Pamir-Alai mountain system. The sloping character of the range descends mainly from north-west to southeast.

The eastern slopes of the Kuhitang Mountains are steep, with gorges and multiple ravines. Such gorges (e.g. Altykunlilk, Chungildara, Tangidevol (Tangidovon), Kuyukdara (Kiyikdara), Zaroutsay, Palangdara, Kuldarozdara, Kurukkuldara, Akdara, Shomuroddara, Iskandardara, Baglidara, Chinkyrdara, etc.) are widespread in the northern parts of the Reserve. Outside, the territory of the reserve abounds with massifs and gorges of Kulvat, Zarvus, Kyzyl, Aktosh, Khodjaibesh, Daroigul, Panjob, Khomkan, where rare animals such as Markhor, gazelle, Bukhara urial and other animals live.

The Kuhitang Mountains have fascinated people for centuries with their unique beauty, virginity of juniper forests, diversity of mineral, plant and animal life. This territory has united all the peculiarities of Central Asian nature, where the landscapes of the mountains, rising to a height of more than three thousand metres above sea level have been preserved intact.

In many places there are karst caves, depressions formed due to dissolution and washing out of limestone. Here are the largest caves in Uzbekistan (4 km long). The combination of steeply sloping and precipitous ridges with lowlands spreading directly at their foothills, sharp differences in altitude give Kugitangtau a great uniqueness.

Among them are unique for the world fauna and for our republic, the Markhor and Bukhara urial. These animals are on the verge of complete extinction and need special measures to preserve and restore their population. Among those included in the red books of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Republic of Uzbekistan, the reserve is also home to leopard, Turkestan lynx, gazelle, striped hyena, white-bellied shrew, Turkestan white and black storks, bearded stork, black vulture, snake-eater, white-headed snapper.

Over two dozen plant species are included in the “Red List” of Uzbekistan. In total, more than six hundred species of higher plants have been identified here. Among them are such valuable ones as juniper, pistachio, karnas, ferula. Many of the species are unique and grow only in the mountains of southern Uzbekistan.

The territory of Surkhan State Reserve is rich in plant species, according to experts’ estimates, more than 900 plant species are found here. The number of higher structure plant species identified in the Reserve to date is 807 species.

Among vertebrates, 26 species of mammals, 136 species of birds, 23 species of reptiles, 2 species of aquatic and terrestrial, 5 species of animals belonging to the class of fish have been found in the reserve to date. Animals protected in the reserve, 24 species are listed in the “Red List” of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 8 of them are listed in the “Red List” of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Among these rare species, the Markhor or ibex (Capra Falconeri Wagner, 1839), Bukhara urial (Ovis vignei Blyth, 1841. ssp. Ovis orientalis bocharensisnasonov, 1914) are considered important animals. Regularly occurring animals in the reserve are Turkestan lynx, white-headed eagle, eagle, black stork, saker falcon, kite, vulture, bearded eagle, small eagle, steppe hedgehog, Turkestan cobra, grey varan, Turkestan catfish, gazelle, Ursus arctos isabellinus, white stork are also periodically or occasionally occurring on the territory of the reserve. Among rare animals 4 species are endemic for the Republic of Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

Criterion (vii): The charm of Surkhan State Reserve, its majestic blue-green mountains crowned by huge clouds, its velvet juniper forests captivating with their unique spicy fragrance, is boundless. The magic of the piercing silence, which is broken only by birdsong and murmuring springs, the invigorating energy of its transparent, clean air mesmerizes, filling the soul with happiness and inspiration.

In some ways, the reserve is like a fabulous kaleidoscope, the multicolour and beauty of which reflects all the uniqueness and diversity of fauna, flora, and picturesque landscapes of the ancient land of Surkhan. In Surkhan State Reserve the island of the whole ecosystem is preserved in its pristine form. The peculiarity of the relief of the reserve is that it consists mainly of mountain gorges, such as Chungildara, Tangiduvol, Kuyukdara, Zarautsoy, Palangdara, Boglidara and others.

On the territory of the property it is possible to see the most important archaeological monuments, the discovery of which became a great historical event. Among them are unique rock paintings from the Meso-Neolithic period, showing scenes of ancient people hunting a bull and a wild goat in the Zaraut-Kamar cave. Surprisingly, the images have not lost their brightness, and their paint has not faded. For scientists, the composition of the paint is a great mystery to this day.

 Criterion (viii): In the nearby territories of the Reserve there are Stone Age archaeological monuments, which testify to the initial stages of the formation of man of the modern type, and therefore have an important historical significance of world level. Since the Middle Palaeolithic (Moustier era), ancient man has inhabited these places because of the complexity of the relief, as well as the abundance of plants and animals, which allowed him to easily find food and shelter in caves. At the end of 2021, a Paleolithic monument was identified in the Kuhitang Mountains area. In the inner part of Kuhitang Mountains, there are numerous narrow gorges in which many caves and grottoes were formed as a result of geological processes. One of these grottoes was used as a seasonal shelter by the ancestors of primitive man. As a result, it turned out that this monument consists of a single cultural layer. The cultural layer was covered with ashes and burnt remains consisting of dark clay. A large number of stone items and wild animal bones were also found in it. The stone products found at the site date back to the Middle Palaeolithic period.

Criterion (x): The Kuhitang Mountains are home to rare, endangered, or endemic plant species, including several species of tulips and astragalus. Dense thickets of almonds, pistachio, maple trees, glades framed by juniper trees and herbs and shrubs such as oregano, anzur onion, elecampane, ferula, rosehip, hawthorn and many other plants, including over 170 medicinal species, give these places a special and unique appearance. A total of 827 species of vascular plants have been identified in the reserve, 41 of them are rare species. 22 species are endemic representatives of the Kuhitang type of habitat. Another 4 species (Seseli nevskii (Korovin) Pimenov et Sdobnina, Silene nataliae F.O. Khass. et I.I. Malzev, Oxytropis megalorrhyncha Nevski and Allium kuhitangi F.O. Khass. ined.) grow only on the territory of the Reserve itself. Also 37 species of plants included in the Red Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan are preserved here. That is why the role of the Reserve in preserving the plant gene pool and the entire biodiversity of the Kuhitang is extremely high.

It is the centre of formation for both mountain and desert animals, which explains the endemism of certain species, such as the ibex (Markhor) and Bukhara mountain sheep. The Central Asian cobra and the Turkestan lynx, which are listed in the international Red Book, also live here. Rare animals such as Markhor, Bukhara sheep, gazelle, and Central Asian cobra are also found outside the Reserve. Inhabitants of the Reserve are also wolf, fox, stone marten, badger, wild boar, Turkestan rat, long-eared urchin, Turkestan lynx, tolai hare, juniper vole, forest dormouse. In 1992 and 1993, there were recorded the ante-Asian leopard and striped hyena, which, alas, have ceased to be recorded in the last 20 years. The Surkhan State Reserve is considered to be a habitat of birds belonging to 12 groups (chickadees, pigeons, cranes, storks, raptors, owls, cuckoos, goatherds, rakshasas, hoopoes, woodpeckers, sparrows). Typically, sedentary species are the puffin, desert partridge, golden eagle, bearded eagle, black stork, snake-eater, white-headed vulture, black vulture, woodpecker, owl, tufted lark, spinner swallow and others.

Surkhan State Reserve meets the requirements of integrity. The site includes significant elements of sufficient size to reflect the natural beauty and scientific values of the Kuhitang Mountain topography. The boundaries of the preserve are adequate in relation to the stated scientific and aesthetic values, and the boundaries of the buffer zone are also clearly defined. The level of management responsibility appears adequate to the major challenges and threats that the site may face.