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The Kunlun Mountains constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi). In the broadest sense, the chain forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin. The name originated from the Mongolian word Хөндлөн Khöndlön, meaning "Horizontal", referring to its characteristics. | [[File:Cordillère du Kunlun.jpg|thumb|View of Western Kunlun Shan from the Tibet-Xinjiang highway]] | ||
[[File:Map of Tibet in the 13th century and Central Asian trade routes (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kunlun range]] | |||
The [[Kunlun Mountains]] constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi). In the broadest sense, the chain forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin. The name originated from the Mongolian word Хөндлөн Khöndlön, meaning "Horizontal", referring to its characteristics. | |||
The exact definition of this range varies. From the Pamirs of Tajikistan, the Kunlun Mountains run east along the border between Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions to the Sino-Tibetan ranges in Qinghai province. They stretch along the southern edge of what is now called the Tarim Basin, the infamous Takla Makan desert, and the Gobi Desert. A number of important rivers flow from the range including the Karakash River ('Black Jade River') and the Yurungkash River ('White Jade River'), which flow through the Khotan Oasis into the Taklamakan Desert. | The exact definition of this range varies. From the Pamirs of Tajikistan, the Kunlun Mountains run east along the border between Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions to the Sino-Tibetan ranges in Qinghai province. They stretch along the southern edge of what is now called the Tarim Basin, the infamous Takla Makan desert, and the Gobi Desert. A number of important rivers flow from the range including the Karakash River ('Black Jade River') and the Yurungkash River ('White Jade River'), which flow through the Khotan Oasis into the Taklamakan Desert. | ||
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==Mythology== | ==Mythology== | ||
Kunlun is originally the name of a mythical mountain believed to be a Taoist paradise. The first to visit this paradise was, according to the legends, King Mu (976-922 BCE) of the Zhou Dynasty. He supposedly discovered there the Jade Palace of the Yellow Emperor, the mythical originator of Chinese culture, and met Hsi Wang Mu (Xi Wang Mu), the 'Spirit Mother of the West' usually called the 'Queen Mother of the West', who was the object of an ancient religious cult which reached its peak in the Han Dynasty, and also had her mythical abode in these mountains. <ref>[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunlun_Mountains]</ref> | Kunlun is originally the name of a mythical mountain believed to be a Taoist paradise. The first to visit this paradise was, according to the legends, King Mu (976-922 BCE) of the Zhou Dynasty. He supposedly discovered there the Jade Palace of the Yellow Emperor, the mythical originator of Chinese culture, and met Hsi Wang Mu (Xi Wang Mu), the 'Spirit Mother of the West' usually called the 'Queen Mother of the West', who was the object of an ancient religious cult which reached its peak in the Han Dynasty, and also had her mythical abode in these mountains. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunlun_Mountains Kunlun Mountains]</ref> | ||