Inylchek is considered as
the largest (60 kms) and fastest movingglacier of Kyrgyzstan having
two sleeves named Northern and Southern Inylchek. It is located on
east from the Issyk-Kul lake on Khan-Tengry massif, the most high
and remote part of all Tien-Shan. The area is characterized by
powerful glaciations. There are many summitsabove 6000 m
(Khan-Tengry Peak (6995 m) is the highest among them) and Pobeda
Peak (7439 m) here.
Southern Inylchek is the
largest glacier of Tien-Shan and second in size mountain glacier
among CIS countries after Fedchenko glacier on Pamir mountains. It
is located between Tengry-Tag and Kokshaaltau ridges. It is 58,9 km
long and has 17,2 km2. The glacier starts in Khan-Tengry area and
has 43.2 km length tongue, having 2.2 km average width, falls up to
2800 m. Southern Inylchek flows in few kilometers to the north and
then sharply turns to the West. The ice thickness is 150-200 m in
bottom parts of its body. Powerful left inflows of the glacier lie
in the northern spurs of the mountain range Kokshaaltou. They have
their own names: Starlet, Wild, Proletarian traveler and Komsomol
(from the East due the West). If a traveler takes a look at the
glacier from the bird flight, he will see with dark longitudinal
stripes of moraines on its main trunk. He will also see the series
of light branches of different length and thickness.