Gissar Valley

Gissar Valley 

a stretch of low land in the western part of the Tadzhik SSR, located between the southern fringe of the Gissar Range and the northern borders of the Baratag, Karatau, and other ranges. Its length (including the upper part of the Surkhandar’ia Valley), is approximately 115 km. (The Gissar Valley proper is about 70 km long.) Its central part is approximately 20 km wide. The altitude of the valley ranges from 700 to 1,000 m. It is watered by the Kafirnigan River and its tributaries, as well as by the Bol’shoi Gissar Canal. The climate is continental, with an average temperature of 29° C in July, and -0.7° C in January. The annual precipitation is approximately 520 mm. Cotton, sesame, and wheat are raised in the flat areas of the Gissar Valley, and there are also orchards and truck gardens. In the western part of the valley there are geranium plantations. On the slopes of the surrounding mountains at an altitude of 1,200-2,000 m there are subtropical steppes, shrubs, and large deciduous forests. Cereals and fruits are raised on the cultivated lands, and at higher altitudes there are subalpine and alpine meadows. The capital of the Tadzhik SSR, Dushanbe, is located in the Gissar Valley.