The At-Bashi Zone includes the Atbashi-Karakoyun Valley. The center of the zone, the village of At-Bashi, is located 50 kilometers from the city of Naryn. The valley floor rises from 2000 to 3200 meters above sea level. Its total length is 160 kilometers and about 30 kilometers wide. The valley is surrounded on all sides by mountain ridges: to the south is At-Bashi (4786 m); to the north are Naryn-Tuu (4944 m) and Baibiche-Tuu (4434 m); to the west is Djaman-Tuu (4737 m).
The At-Bashi River is one of the largest tributaries of the Naryn and flows into it at an altitude of about 1700 meters above sea level. At the entrance to the Naryn Basin, the riverbed of the At-Bashi is cut through by the limestone spurs of the Ala-Myshik ridge of Naryn-Tuu. The river flows in a narrow (up to 3 m in the upper part) and deep (up to 80 m) canyon, which has been declared a state natural monument. The At-Bashi River has a reservoir of the same name, formed as a result of the construction of a unique hydroelectric power station. The dam's structure is so narrow that in some places the rocks on opposite banks come as close as 5 m. The length of the reservoir is about 5 km.
In the At-Bashi Valley, mountain ranges extend to the rising sun on both the right and left. Due to the whims of slope exposure relative to the cardinal directions, treeless spaces give way to forest thickets and vice versa. Forests of Tien Shan fir are most commonly found at altitudes from 1800 to 3000 m on the northern and western slopes of the ridges, which are better hydrated. In places, reddish slopes covered with grass are strewn with rock fragments. Among the stones, the characteristic whistling of marmots can be heard from time to time. At the approach of danger, these vigilant animals hide in their burrows.
The surrounding gorges rise steeply, but in the ridge zone, they flatten out and lead to passes.
The southern slopes of the Naryn-Tuu ridge are covered with grass, and only in the gorges are there occasional thickets of tugai forests.
The upper part of the valley is composed of terraces covered with an emerald green carpet dotted with numerous mossy stones and flowers. Yellow buttercups and forget-me-nots are replaced by silvery edelweiss, shrouded in legends. Do not pick them; they will quickly wilt and lose their proud posture. It is better to take a camera with color film and sharpen your sense of smell. It should be remembered that in the Alps, edelweiss has already become a rarity and is protected by the state.
The At-Bashi River is formed by the confluence of two tributaries — Ulan (right) and Dzhanay-Dzher (left), which originate from glaciers. Above the green areas of the At-Bashi ridge, south of the village of the same name, sparkling glaciers and snowfields rise against the backdrop of the blue sky, crowned by a proud peak (4786 m). The favorable climate of the valley, the magnificence of the grassy cover, and the absence of flies and mosquitoes provide good living conditions and high livestock weight gain.
Sensitive shepherd dogs will greet you far from the yurt. The hospitality of the herders is boundless. After a whole day of walking, it is nice to sit on the felt carpets around the fire in the middle of the yurt and taste a wonderful drink from a bowl — cold and sharp-tasting kumys (mare's milk). Not everyone will like its peculiar taste at first. But this is only at first; later you won't need to be persuaded.
Humans have used the valley since ancient times. This is evidenced by numerous millennia-old images of animals and scenes of human activity on the stone slopes and "stone women," gazing with empty eye sockets into eternity, burial mounds of the ancient tribes — Saka and Usun. You can inspect the remains of the rectangular settlement of Koshoy-Korgon, about 300 m on each side, located 12 km from the modern district center of At-Bashi.
26 km south of the village of At-Bashi, on the northern slope of the At-Bashi ridge, almost at its crest at an altitude of 3250 m, is the mineral water spring Shor-Suu with a water temperature of 16°, close to the "Narzan" type.
Within the zone are the hunting farms At-Bashi and At-Bashi-Tokoy, where licensed hunting for ibex and chukars is organized.
