Osh: Kyrgyzstan's pre-Islamic sacred mountain

Kyrgyzstan's oldest city, Osh preserves a sacred mountain venerated continuously for over three thousand years, first by Zoroastrianism then by Islam.

Shared taxis remain the most common way to move toward the pre-Islamic sacred mountain of Solomon.

The Sulaiman-Too, a sacred mountain and UNESCO heritage site, holds caves with cave paintings and a mosque built atop its summit by the ruler Babur.

Just steps away, the Great Bazaar of Osh, one of the oldest in Central Asia along the Silk Road, still animates trade in spices and fabrics today.

Continuing toward the Ak-Buura river, one walks along the city's riverside, a meeting point between Uzbek and Kyrgyz cultures in the Fergana valley.

Toward evening, local restaurants serve plov, a rice dish originating from Central Asia shared by all cultures of the region.

Sulaiman-Too was venerated as a sacred site by Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and finally Muslims over more than three thousand years, making it one of the oldest continuously active places of worship in Central Asia.

Osh lies in the Fergana Valley, a region shared between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, an ethnic and cultural crossroads that reflects centuries of Silk Road history.