Wender·Vista
Khan Tengri
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileKyrgyzstan
high on the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border in the central Tian Shan

Khan Tengri

— — the marble peak that turns red at the end of the day.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A pyramid of pale marble on the central Tian Shan border, climbing to about 7,010 metres with its summit ice cap. The Turkic name means Lord of the Skies. At the end of clear days the rock catches the last red light and the Kazakh side knows it as the bloody mountain. The South Inylchek Glacier curves sixty kilometres below it. Few peaks in the world stand this far north and this high.

from the studio
Khan Tengri
— bring it home

Khan Tengri, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Khan Tengri

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Khan Tengri stands on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in the central Tian Shan range, about ten kilometres from the western edge of China. Its rock summit reaches 6,995 metres and its permanent ice cap brings the recognised mountaineering elevation to 7,010 metres, making it one of the five seven-thousand-metre peaks of the former Soviet Union that together earn the Snow Leopard award. The South Inylchek Glacier, roughly 60 kilometres long, flows from its southern base.

— the stone

The mountain is a near-symmetrical pyramid of pale crystalline marble, banded with darker schist near the saddle. The marble takes the late sun at a low angle and turns deep red for several minutes before the light goes; the Kazakh name Kan Tau, the bloody mountain, comes from this effect rather than from any climbing history. The first ascent was made on September 11, 1931, by a Ukrainian party led by Mikhail Pogrebetsky on the western ridge from the South Inylchek Glacier.

— the visit

The Khan Tengri base camp at about 4,000 metres on the South Inylchek Glacier is reached by helicopter from the Maida-Adyr meadow in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul region or from Karkara on the Kazakh side. The flight takes about an hour and runs only in the short summer climbing window of July and August. The mountain sits inside a Kyrgyz border-zone permit area arranged in advance with the operators on the Inylchek. The standard route up the West Ridge is technical, high-altitude, and exposed.

— where
Kyrgyzstan · Issyk-Kul Region
— elevation
7,010 m · 22,999 ft
— position
42.2147° N · 80.1758° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
South Inylchek Glacier
glacier
20 km S
Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda Peak)
peak
15 km W
Lake Merzbacher
glacial lake
N
Khan Tengri
South Inylchek Glacier
Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda Peak)
Lake Merzbacher
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Khan Tengri — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The rock summit is 6,995 metres above sea level. With its permanent summit ice cap the recognised mountaineering elevation is 7,010 metres, which qualifies it as a seven-thousander in international climbing.

On the border between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in the central Tian Shan range, with the Chinese frontier about ten kilometres to the east. The South Inylchek Glacier flows from its southern base.

Lord of the Skies, or Lord of the Spirits, in Turkic. Tengri is the sky god of the old steppe religion; khan is the ruler. Kazakhs also call the peak Kan Tau, the bloody mountain.

The summit is pale crystalline marble. In clear weather the marble catches the last minutes of low evening sunlight at an angle that reads as deep red, an effect strong enough to give the mountain its Kazakh name.

September 11, 1931, by a Ukrainian party led by Mikhail Pogrebetsky on the western ridge approached from the South Inylchek Glacier. It was the first major Soviet expedition to the central Tian Shan.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for our customers who have climbed in the Tian Shan or carry family connections to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. A Medium or Large carries the scale the mountain deserves.

The cold whites, pale rose, and deep blue read into mountain-modern, alpine, and minimalist settings. It pairs naturally with raw oak, brushed steel, and rooms that already hold one or two pieces of landscape art.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console; above a sofa a 4-tile Mural carries the wall, and a 9-tile Mural becomes the anchor of the room. The Medium suits a study or stairwell.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and made for vertical installations like backsplashes and shower walls. The Glossy finish is best for framed display in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift, fade, or scratch with ordinary cleaning.

— if this one stayed with you

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