Sulayman Mountain

Location of Sulayman Mountain in Kyrgyzstan

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Sulayman Mountain (West and Central Asia)

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The Sulayman Mountain (Kyrgyz: Сулайман-Тоо, also known as Sulaiman-Too, Sulayman Rock, or The Throne of Sulayman) is the only World Heritage Site located entirely in the country of Kyrgyzstan.^[a]^[1] It is located in the city of Osh and was once a major place of pre-Muslim pilgrimage. The rock rises abruptly from the surrounding plains of the Fergana Valley and is a popular place among locals and visitors, with a splendid view.

History

This mountain is thought by some researchers and historians to be the famous landmark of antiquity known as the “Stone Tower”, which Claudius Ptolemy wrote about in his famous treatise Geography.^[2]^[3]^[4] It marked the midpoint on the ancient Silk Road, the overland trade route taken by caravans between Europe and Asia.

Sulayman Shrine

Sulayman (Solomon) is a prophet in the Qur'an, and the mountain contains a shrine that supposedly marks his grave. Women who ascend to the shrine on top and crawl though an opening across the holy rock will, according to legend, give birth to healthy children. The trees and bushes on the mountain are draped with numerous "prayer flags", small pieces of cloth that are tied to them.

Area protection

According to the UNESCO, the mountain is "the most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshipped over several millennia".^[5] The site is still a popular place for local Muslims, with stairs leading up to the highest peak where there stands a small mosque originally built by Babur in 1510. Much of the mosque was reconstructed in the late 20th century.

The rock also contains the National Historical and Archaeological Museum Complex Sulayman that was built during the Soviet era, showing archaeological findings from the area and its history. The lower slope of the mountain is surrounded by a cemetery.

Notes

^ Kyrgyzstan shares the Tian-Shan Silk Road Site with China and Kazakhstan. The Western Tien-Shan site is shared with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Gallery

View of the mountain from the city of Osh
View of the five peaks from Alishir Navoi Street
Rock formations on one of the summits
Detail of sedimentary rock strata (horizontal bedding)
The Sulaiman-Too Mosque, Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Cemetery on lower slopes with Sulayman-Too Mosque in background
View of Osh seen downhill across cemetery and mosque
Mosque, viewed from above
Panorama of Osh, (mosque in foreground) viewed from track to one of mountain caves
Panorama of Osh showing high, snow-capped peaks of the Alay Range to the south of city
Detail of one of the mountain’s caves
Sparse tree cover on arid upper slopes
Decorative gateway to staircase leading to museum precinct
Sulayman-Too Archeological Museum on one of peaks
Archeological Museum entrance
House of Babur exterior
House of Babur interior
House of Babur detail of dome interior
Café at base (viewing platform and House of Babur visible in background)
Mausoleum of Asif ibn Barkhiya
The Gates of Fire (commemorating Zoroastrian fire temple on mountain)
Kyrgyz women rest while on visit to sacred mountain

References

^ "Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain". UNESCO. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
^ Dean, Riaz (2022). The Stone Tower: Ptolemy, the Silk Road, and a 2,000-Year-Old Riddle. Delhi: Penguin Viking. pp. 173–85. ISBN 978-0670093625.
^ Dean, Riaz (2015). "The Location of Ptolemy's Stone Tower: The Case for Sulaiman-Too in Osh" (PDF). The Silk Road.
^ von Reden, Sitta (2023). The Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies (Volume 3: Frontier-Zone Processes and Transimperial Exchange). De Gruyter Oldenbourg. p. 20. ISBN 9783110604641.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ "Sacred mountain in Kyrgyzstan enters List along with Iran's Shushtar water system and Royal tombs in Republic of Korea". UNESCO. Retrieved 9 August 2014.