Kongur Tagh, Summit in Akto County, China

Kongur Tagh is the highest peak of the Pamir Mountains, reaching 7,649 metres in the Kongur Shan range of Akto County, Xinjiang. Its main summit is a pointed dark rock face partly bared of snow, with a broad shoulder descending to the left into steep white ridges. Long ridgelines of snow broken by grey and brown rock ribs and gullies fall below the summits, and a rounded snow dome stands in the lower right foreground. A northeastern summit of 7,625 metres is close enough in height that climbers on the main summit could not tell which was taller.

Kongur Tagh was unknown to Europeans until 1900, when its existence was recorded during surveys of the region. A Soviet-Chinese expedition under Yevgeny Beletsky attempted the peak in 1956 but failed, reaching instead the neighbouring Kongur Jiubie. The first ascent came on 12 June 1981, by a British team of Chris Bonington, Alan Rouse, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker. A Japanese team made the second ascent in 1989, and three Russian rope teams reached the summit in summer 2004.

Kongur Tagh means 'Brown Mountain' in the Turkic languages of the region, a name shared with the Kongur Shan range that contains it. Chinese maps label the peak 公格尔峰 (Gōnggé'ěr Fēng), and some sources wrongly apply the range name Kongur Shan to the summit alone. The mountain lies in Akto County, Xinjiang, just north of Muztagh Ata and within sight of Karakul Lake.

Kongur Tagh lies in Akto County, Xinjiang, just north of Muztagh Ata and visible from Karakul Lake. The Karakoram Highway, running past Tashkurgan and Karakul Lake, brings climbers closer to the approach. The mountain is known for very unfriendly weather, so plan for harsh conditions at any season.

The main summit is so close in height to the 7,625 m northeastern summit that climbers on top could not tell which was taller. This is why the often-quoted 7,719 m figure is likely wrong. The first ascent only came on 12 June 1981, by Chris Bonington, Alan Rouse, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker.