Sulayman Mountain

For a site located in Balochistan, Pakistan known by the same name, see Takht-e-Sulaiman
For a site in West Azarbaijan, Iran known by the same name, see Takht-i-Suleiman

The Sulayman Mountain (also known as Taht-I-Suleiman, Sulayman Rock or Sulayman Throne) is the only World Heritage Site in the country of Kyrgyzstan.[1] It is located in the city of Osh and was once a major place of Muslim and 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.(See List of World Heritage Sites in Kyrgyzstan)

Sulayman 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.

According to the UNESCO, the mountain is "the most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshipped over several millennia".[2] 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, he later become the who would later become the founder of the Mughal Empire. Much of the mosque had been reconstructed in the late 20th century.

The rock also contains a museum that was carved during the Soviet era, showing archaeological findings from the area and its history. The lower slope of the mountain is surrounded by a cemetery.