It begins to the north of Otar, west of the Kurty, one of the main tributaries of the Ili river, and stretches in a roughly northwestern direction for less than 200 kilometers (120 mi).

The Chu River flows to the west of the range and to the northeast stretches the Zhusandala Plain and the Taukum desert of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin.

[3] The highest point of the range is Anyrakay (Аңырақай), a 1,294 metres (4,245 ft) high summit.

The Maizharylgan and the Zhambyl stretch northwestwards from the northern end of the range, parallel to the Zheltau, and the Betpak-Dala desert to the WNW.

To the south stretches the Kindyktas, a higher and more massive spur of the northwestern Trans-Ili Alatau.