| Tirich Mir | |
|---|---|
.jpg/1280px-Tirich_Mir_(The_Kingdom_Of_Djinns_And_Fairies).jpg) Tirich Mir summit at night | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,708 m (25,289 ft) Ranked 33rd |
| Prominence | 3,908 m (12,822 ft)[1] Ranked 30th |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 36°15′15″N 71°50′36″E / 36.25417°N 71.84333°E / 36.25417; 71.84333[1] |
| Naming | |
| Native name | ترچ میر (Khowar) |
| Geography | |
| Parent range | Hindu Kush |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | A. Næss, Per Kvernberg, Henry Berg, and T. Streather in 1950 |
| Easiest route | glacier/snow/ice |
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Terich Mir (also spelled Terichmir, Tirich Mir and Turch Mir), 7,708 meters (25,289 ft), is the highest mountain of the Hindu Kush range, the 33rd highest peak in the world and the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas–Karakoram range. It is located in the Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Geography
Tirich Mir overlooks the town of Chitral and it can be easily seen from the main bazaar. The usual approach to the mountain is up the Tirich valley which has the Tirich Glacier at its head. The glacier is encircled by three of the 7000m peaks in the Hindu Kush: Tirich Mir, Noshaq and Istor-o-Nal. The meltwaters from the glaciers on the north side of Tirich Mir and the south sides of Noshaq and Istor-o-Nal flow into the river running down the Tirich valley to join the waters of the Torkhow River, and form a major tributary of the Chitral River.[2][3]
From the confluence at the Torkhow valley, about 100km north-east of Chitral and a few km south of the village of Shagram, a jeep track leads up the Tirich valley to Shagrom, the highest permanent settlement. There are summertime grazing pastures and shepherd huts further up the valley from Shagrom, and above there is the snout of the lower Tirich glacier which is fed by glaciers from seven sub-valleys, those meet at the Tirich Concordia glacial confluence.[4][5]
Geology
The mountain is mainly composed of the mid-Cretaceous granitic Tirich Mir pluton which is cut by numerous dykes. The pluton cuts a sequence of metagabbros, peridotites and gneisses which form a high-grade metamorphic belt known as the Tirich Boundary Zone (TBZ).[6][7]
Mountaineering
The first recorded ascent of the mountain was on 21 July 1950 by a Norwegian-British expedition consisting of Arne Næss, Per Kvernberg, Henry Berg, and Tony Streather, they approached the mountain from the South Barum glacier, which runs towards the peak from the south-east, and then climbed the south ridge.[8] The expedition is depicted in the 1952 documentary film Tirich Mir til topps.[9]
A Czechoslovak expedition established a route via the Upper Tirich Glacier and northwest ridge in 1967,[10] that is now regarded as the 'normal route'.[11]
In July 2023 the Japanese mountaineers Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima made the first ascent of the 2,200m north face of Tirich Mir. They spent two days approaching the Lower Tirich Glacier from base camp and bivouacked three nights during the climb and once more as they descended to the northwest - along the 1967 'normal' route.[12] The 2025 Piolets d'Or was awarded for this ascent,[11] the award was made posthumously because the two climbers had fallen to their death in the summer of 2024 whilst attempting a new route on the West Face of K2 in alpine-style.[13]
Climate
The weather station 4,245 m (13,927 ft) above sea level lies in the Tundra climate/Alpine climate (ET) zone according to Köppen Climate Classification. On this specific altitude (4,245 m or 13,927 ft asl) we find moderately cold winters and cool summers generally above freezing. Annual mean temperature is −5.25 °C (22.55 °F), which puts the station well inside the range of continuous permafrost. The average temperature in the coldest month of January is −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) and the two hottest months of July and August have mean temperatures of 6.5 °C (43.7 °F). Average low temperatures range from −23 °C (−9 °F) in January to 0 °C (32 °F) in July and August. The summit has an Ice cap climate (EF) where no month has an average temperature above 0 °C (32 °F).
| Climate data for Tirich Mir (4,235 m asl) Averages (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −12 (10) |
−11 (12) |
−7 (19) |
−2 (28) |
3.0 (37.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.0 (48.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−6 (21) |
−10 (14) |
−0.08 (31.86) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −17.5 (0.5) |
−16 (3) |
−12 (10) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−4 (25) |
−10 (14) |
−15 (5) |
−5.25 (22.55) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −23 (−9) |
−21 (−6) |
−17 (1) |
−11 (12) |
−6 (21) |
−2 (28) |
0.0 (32.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−8 (18) |
−14 (7) |
−20 (−4) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
| Source: Meteoblue[14] | |||||||||||||
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Etymology
The name "Terich Mir" consists of two words terich and mir. Terich is the valley in which mountain peak is located while mir (sometimes spelled mer) means mountain in the Khowar language.[15] Georg Morgenstierne gives its derivation from two Sanskrit words *tirīca and meru (lit. 'peak').[15] Several scholars have identified Terich Mir with the sacred Mount Meru mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain literature since Vedic period.[15][16]
Folklore
According to the polytheist Kalash people who live nearby, this mountain is the domain of the goddess Krumai. She appears in the form of a wild goat, and she is associated with childbirth.[17] In one legend, she disturbed the other gods, and was chased by Imra, who threw her into a fast river. Krumai jumped up the river and ran up the cliff, causing the cliff's shape with her hooves. She revealed her true form and prepared a feast for the other gods, and they accepted her into their pantheon.
The Chitrali people, who are Muslim, instead believe that this mountain is the home of fairies and their fortress. No one may climb it, as doing so will bring death to the trespasser. These mountain fairies are known as "Bohtan Doyak", the "stone throwers".[18][19]
See also
- Akhlan Terich
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- List of mountains in Pakistan
- List of highest mountains on Earth
- List of Ultras of the Karakoram and Hindu Kush
References
- ^ a b "Afghanistan and Pakistan Ultra-Prominence". peaklist.org. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "The untapped potential of Chitral River". 17 September 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Swift, Hugh (1990). Trekking in Pakistan and India. Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 102–103. ISBN 9780340515563.
- ^ "Saltoro Summits Treks & Tours Pakistan". www.saltorosummits.com. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ Mock, John; O’Neil, Kimberley (1996). Trekking in the Karakoram & Hindukush. Lonely Planet. p. 167. ISBN 9780864423603.
- ^ Buchroithner, Manfred F.; Gamerith, Herfried (1986). "On the Geology of the Tirich Mir Area, Central Hindu Kush (Pakistan)" (PDF). Jahrbuchtur Geologie B.-A. 128: 367-381. ISSN 0016-7800. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Zanchi, A.; Poli, S.; Fumagalli, P.; Gaetani, M. (2000). "Mantle exhumation along the Tirich Mir Fault Zone, NW Pakistan: pre-mid-Cretaceous accretion of the Karakoram terrane to the Asian margin". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 170 (1): 237–252. Bibcode:2000GSLSP.170..237Z. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2000.170.01.13. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "NORWEGIAN EXPEDITION TO TIRICH MIR, 1950 : Himalayan Journal vol.16/5". www.himalayanclub.org.
- ^ Breistein, Rasmus (1952). "Tirich Mir til topps 1952". MNTNFilm. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Smida, Vlastimil (1967). "The second Czech Expedition to the Hindu Kush". Himalayan Journal. #28. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Awarded ascents & Special mention". Piolets d’Or. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Nakajima, Kenro (2024). "The Secret Line: Climbing the Enigmatic North Face of Tirich Mir, Pakistan, Hindu Kush". American Alpine Journal. #66 (98). ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima die on K2". Himalayan Club. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ "Meteoblue".
- ^ a b c Emmerick, R. E. (2007). Iranian Languages and Texts from Iran and Turan: Ronald E. Emmerick Memorial Volume. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 138. ISBN 978-3-447-05670-0.
- ^ Witzel, Michael (2012). The Origins of the World's Mythologies. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-981285-1.
- ^ Chohan, Amar Singh (1989). "A History of Kafferistan: Socio-economic and Political Conditions of the Kaffers".
- ^ @MHuzaifaNizam (18 September 2021). "Lesser Known Fact: The Terich Mir mountain in #Pakistan (Hindu Kush's highest) has for centuries attracted the Kh…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Benavides, Angela (1 April 2024). "Free Permits for Tirich Mir in 2024-25 » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
Books
- Keay, John, "The Gilgit Game": The Explorers of the Western Himalayas, 1865-95, Oxford University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-19-577466-3
- Robertson, Sir George Scott, The Kafirs of the Hindukush, Oxford University Press, (1896, OUP edition 1986), ISBN 0-19-577127-3
External links
- Tirich Mir on SummitPost
