Karatau
Қаратау жотасы
View of the mountains in the area of Kentau city
Highest point
Peak	Bessaz
Elevation	2,176 m (7,139 ft)[1]
Coordinates	42°53′20″N 69°58′50″E / 42.88889°N 69.98056°E / 42.88889; 69.98056[2]
Dimensions
Length	420 km (260 mi) NW/SE
Width	90 km (56 mi) NE/SW
Geography
Karatau Location in Kazakhstan
Location	Kazakhstan
Parent range	Tian Shan
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny
Type of rock	Shale, sandstone, limestone[1]
Climbing
Easiest route	From Kentau

The Karatau or Qaratau (Kazakh: Қаратау жотасы, romanized: Qarataw jotasy) is a mountain range located in southern Kazakhstan.

The name Karatau means Black Mountain in the Kazakh language. The mountains have deposits of phosphorite, lead and zinc.^[3]

Geography

The range extends for about 420 kilometres (260 mi) in a roughly NW/SE direction just north of the Syrdaria River. The Muyunkum Desert lies to the north of the range. The Karatau is the westernmost prolongation of the Tian Shan. The summits of the mountains are smooth and the slopes are cut by snow-fed rivers.^[3] The Shabakty, Kyrshabakty, Ushbas, Bugun and Asa, are among the rivers having their sources in the range.^[4]

World Heritage Status

There are numerous ancient archaeological sites in the range that display the stages of cultural evolution from the early Paleolithic Age (1 million BP) to the Neolithic Age (6500 BP).^[5] This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 24, 1998 in the Cultural category.^[5]

Nature Reserve

The Karatau Nature Reserve is a protected area in the range established in 2004.^[6]