Osh: Sulaiman-Too and Jayma Bazaar

Osh, in the Kyrgyz part of the Fergana valley, is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia; in 2000 it officially celebrated 3,000 years. Its landmark is Sulaiman-Too, a jagged ridge of limestone that rises abruptly from the middle of the city. In 2009 it became Kyrgyzstan's first UNESCO World Heritage site, recognised as the most complete example of a sacred mountain in Central Asia, revered across many centuries and religions.

A sacred mountain

The mountain has five peaks and slopes riddled with caves, hollows and polished rocks, many associated with healing and fertility. Pilgrims still slide down smooth stones, tie cloth to trees and pray at small shrines, practices that predate Islam. More than a hundred sites of petroglyphs have been recorded on the rock. In Islamic tradition the mountain is linked with the prophet Sulaiman (Solomon), who is said to have prayed here, which is a legend rather than history; the name 'Sulaiman's throne' (Takht-i-Sulaiman) appears in medieval sources.

What to see

A stepped path climbs from the city to the main summit, where a small domed prayer house stands. It is known as Babur's House: Zahiriddin Babur, the Fergana prince who later founded the Mughal empire in India, wrote warmly of Osh and is said to have built a retreat here in the 1490s; the present building is a reconstruction of the 1990s after the original was destroyed in the Soviet period. Lower down, the National Historical and Archaeological Museum Complex occupies a Soviet-era concrete structure set into a cave in the cliff, with archaeology, petroglyph displays and natural history. At the foot of the mountain stands the Rawat Abdullakhan mosque, rebuilt from a 16th-century foundation.

Jayma Bazaar

Along the Ak-Buura river runs the Jayma bazaar, one of the largest in Central Asia, a kilometre or more of stalls selling everything from Kyrgyz felt hats (kalpak) and leather whips to spices, dried fruit, horse tack and fresh bread. It has been the commercial heart of Osh for centuries and is at its best in the morning.

Coming from Uzbekistan

Osh is the natural first stop across the Dostuk border from Andijan, typically a short drive on the Kyrgyz side once formalities are done. A Fergana valley journey from Tashkent through Kokand, Margilan and Andijan can end with a night in Osh, before continuing to Arslanbob or flying to Bishkek.