Main image: A.Savin (Wikimedia Commons · WikiPhotoSpace), FAL, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There
Sulaiman Too is in the heart of Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city, well-connected by road to the rest of the country and with regular flights year-round to Bishkek, and seasonally to Issyk-Kul’s Tamchy airport.
What to Expect
Revered as a sacred mountain for more than 1500 years, the peak of UNESCO-listed Sulaiman Too still attracts pilgrims and tourists to Osh city. Muslim visitors seek where the Prophet Solomon is said to have prayed, while those of a Tengrist tradition ask for healing at shrines said to cure back pain or infertility.
Historians seek out petroglyph carvings, visit the site where fourteen-year old Babur (future founder of the Mughal dynasty) sat for forty days in silent meditation, and perhaps the Soviet-era museum – built into one of the peak’s many caves in 2000 to celebrate 3,000 years of continuous habitation of Osh. The most casual tourists hike up for the panoramic views – especially sunset overlooking the wide Ferghana Valley 170m below.
Facilities Available
- Osh is the largest hub for tourist facilities in southern Kyrgyzstan, with a full range of accommodation and dining available.
- Destination Osh unites a variety of Osh-based tourism stakeholders to provide booking services and support that benefits the local tourism sector broadly.
