Dzhamantau

(Kirghiz, evil mountains), a mountain range in the Tien-Shan northwest of Lake Chatyrkel’ (Kirghiz SSR).

In the west, beyond the gorge of the Arpa River, the mountains abut the Fergana Range. They span a distance of some 70 km, reach an elevation of 4,718 m, and are formed of sedimentary and metamorphic rock. The southern slope drops off steeply to the valley of the Arpa (basin of the Naryn); the northern is gradual. The mountains are covered with thin steppe vegetation and, higher up, with alpine meadows.