Alai

 

or Alai (both: älī') , mountain range, SW Kyrgyzstan. A western branch of the Tian Shan system, it extends c.200 mi (320 km) W from the Chinese border and rises to c.19,280 ft (5,880 m) in its western portion. The Alay valley, south of the range, is a fertile elevated (c.9,800 ft/2,990 m) grassland used for grazing; there is irrigated grain cultivation in the west.