Which mountain is the highest peak in the Pamir Mountains, rising to 7,495 metres?

Ismoil Somoni Peak is the highest mountain in the Pamir Mountains, rising to 7,495 metres in Tajikistan.

The peak is part of the Academy of Sciences Range, a rugged subdivision of the Pamirs. It was formerly known as Communism Peak and was renamed in 1998 to honour Ismail Samani, a ninth- and tenth-century ruler associated with the Samanid state and regarded as an important national historical figure in Tajikistan.

The mountain was first climbed in 1933 by a Soviet expedition led by Yevgeny Abalakov. Its great elevation, severe weather, crevassed glaciers, and remote location make it a serious mountaineering objective.

Ismoil Somoni Peak is one of the former Soviet Union’s “Snow Leopard” peaks, a group of five summits above 7,000 metres. Lenin Peak and Korzhenevskaya Peak are also members, but neither is as high.