Heavenly Mountains, Endless Grasslands

The Tianshan Mountains, or Mountains of Heaven, span spectacularly across the fertile lands of Central Asia, originating in Eastern Xinjiang and terminating in Uzbekistan. Long standing as a barrier along the Silk Roads, but even longer standing as the home of many peoples and nationalities, the mountains here are nothing short of majestic. In North Xinjiang, the Altai Mountains also come into play in the farthest reaches, bordering Russia, Mongolia, and Kazkahstan. Ancient nomadic cultures have thrived here , even those of the legendary, but wholly existent, eagle hunters. Not only mountains make headways here, as the grasslands thrive here like nowhere else, including some of the world's largest. North Xinjiang, it all its vastness, is a humble example of the simple beauty of mountains and valleys, rock and grass.