Rising above the ancient city of Osh is the sacred mountain of Sulaiman-Too. Sulaiman is a reference to King Solomon--considered a prophet in the Quran--who legend has it, made a pilgrimage to the mountain, or, as some believe, was buried in one of the mountain's caves. The mountain has been the primary landmark in the great Fergana Valley for millennia and marks the exact midpoint of the Silk Road.
The mountain was a sacred site for the ancient, pre-Islamic cults who believed that the caves on the mountain had healing properties. Additionally, many of the caves are adorned with ancient petroglyphs and the caves also served as places of worship. After the rise of Islam, Sulaiman-Too became an important holy site in the Muslim world. Because of its extraordinary historical significance, Sulaiman-Too is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On our first day in Osh, we completed our duties to UCA in the early afternoon and, after eating a meal, proceeded to Sulaiman-Too. We climbed the highest peak and then walked across the mountain to the museum and then took the gentle walk to the bottom of Sulaiman-Too just as pilgrims and worshippers have been doing for at least 30 centuries.
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| Entrance Arch to Sulaiman-Too |
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| View from Sulaiman-Too with Uzbekistan in the distance |
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| The small mosque at the top of Sulaiman-Too--It was built in 1510 by Babur, founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India. |
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| A group of Kyrgyz soldiers taking a rest after marching to the top of the mountain |
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| A view of one of many of the sacred caves of Sulaiman-Too |
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| Leave it to the Soviets to blast a gigantic hole in the sacred mountain so they could build this outlandish museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day by the time we arrived. |
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| The view from our hotel: Sulaiman-Too in the distance |
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