Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan

By Ali Karim
This post is part of a series called Silk Road Kyrgyzstan Sept 2019
Show More Posts

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan; Sept 2019

After the wonderful experiences the previous day in Osh, the next day, we got up early to go to Sulaiman-Too, the sacred mountain in Osh city, for a hike, before it got too hot mid-day. This mountain was sacred because its five peaks and slopes contained numerous ancient places of worship and caves, complete with petroglyphs as well as two 16th century mosques, one of which was Babur’s (founder of the Mughal empire) mosque. Several cult sites are believed to have provided cures for barrenness, headaches, and back pain and give the blessing of longevity. The site is believed to represent the most complete example of a sacred mountain anywhere in Central Asia, worshipped over several millennia.

Historic Significance
Five peaks of  Sulaiman-Too and slopes contains numerous ancient places of worship and caves, complete with petroglyphs and two 16th century mosques worshipped over several millennia. Its believed to provide cures for barrenness, headaches, and back pain and give the blessing of longevity.

We took a taxi to the base of the mountain and then walked over to the first stop, which was the Cave Museum.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Cave Museum
Cave Museum
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Entrance to the Sulaiman-Too Cave Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Entrance to the Sulaiman-Too Cave Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site

This cave museum showcases the ancient Neolithic and Bronze Age sites; and it is literally built inside the mountain. There were not many exhibits here, and most had no English explanations; so a little disappointing.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Cave Museum
Cave Museum

After this Museum, we took a short hike on a trail along the mountain; some views below

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Sulaiman Too mountain hike; note the numerous caves and the half moon
Sulaiman Too mountain hike; note the numerous caves and the half moon
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Mosque at the bottom of Sulaiman Too, with a huge graveyard.
Mosque at the bottom of Sulaiman Too, with a huge graveyard.
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan View of Osh city from Babur’s mosque on Sulaiman Too mountain
View of Osh city from Babur’s mosque on Sulaiman Too mountain

Babur’s mosque was a very small 4 person size mosque; I guess it was built just for Babur.

Babur's Mosque
Very small mosque only for 4 people at the most.

Osh City from Babur’s mosque on Sulaiman Too

We stopped for late breakfast at a small café at the base of Sulaiman Too, and Erali came over to meet us. Erali was the manager of the tour company, that we were using to drive us from Osh, all the way to Khorog, Tajikistan. Erali took us around to a few sites in Osh; like some old mosques, the Osh library. Below are some scenes from Osh city

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Osh National library, and statue of a famous Kyrgyz poet and musician. Inside the library was the American Corner
Osh National library, and statue of a famous Kyrgyz poet and musician. Inside the library was the American Corner
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Commemorative statues were everywhere
Commemorative statues were everywhere

We then went back the Jayma Bazaar to pick up a few things before our road trip started. Below are some scenes from Jayma Bazaar

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Ladies selling milk products at one entrance of the Jayma Bazaar
Ladies selling milk products at one entrance of the Jayma Bazaar
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Interesting outfit, recreating the Silk road experience?
Interesting outfit, recreating the Silk road experience?
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Not sure what he was selling
Not sure what he was selling
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Bread for sale everywhere
Bread for sale everywhere
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Cow legs and hooves (“paya”) for sale
Cow legs and hooves (“paya”) for sale
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan We then stopped for lunch at a local chai-khana, and had somsa and tea with Erali
We then stopped for lunch at a local chai-khana, and had somsa and tea with Erali
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Chaykhana with outdoor shashlik (skewered lamb kebabs) and somsa tandoor
Chai-khana with outdoor shashlik (skewered lamb kebabs) and somsa tandoor
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan These ladies were selling figs inside a yellow covering; delicious
These ladies were selling figs inside a yellow covering; delicious

The previous day, when Muayo was translating during our meeting with Alifbek and his family on WhatsApp from Moscow; she had mentioned that she had studied at the Aga Khan School in Osh. So, we asked Erali to take us there; & fortunately, he knew Gulnar, the English teacher there. Gulnar met us and gave us a tour of the school, and we met with the headmaster. The school is from Grade 4 to 12 but has recently been losing students in higher grades to competitors, and so is planning to enroll lower grades as well. The school teaches the standard subjects, and English, German, French, in addition to the required Kyrgyz and Russian. There are very few Ismaili’s enrolled here, as the Ismaili population in Osh is only ~50 families. Some scenes below from the school below

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Entrance to the school
Entrance to the school
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan School Cafeteria
School Cafeteria
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Home Economics Class
Home Economics Class
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Pics commemorating the setting up of the school
Pics commemorating the setting up of the school
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Opening of the school
Opening of the school
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan School courtyard; students practicing a play
School courtyard; students practicing a play
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Typical classroom
Typical classroom
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan With Gulnar, the English head teacher who gave us a tour
With Gulnar, the English head teacher who gave us a tour

We said our goodbye’s to Gulnar, and left to wander around a little in the town; some scenes below

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Modernity
Modernity
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Some street art murals
Street art murals
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Chilling in a park with babies and ice cream
Chilling in a park with babies and ice cream
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Ladies begging on the street, faces all covered up
Ladies begging on the street, faces all covered up

We then went back to the hotel, and freshened up; and shortly, Alifbek came and picked us up, and drove us to his house for dinner. Dinner was a big spread that started with bread, tea, butter, several kinds of jams, sweets, biscuits, fruits, juices etc, such that the table was almost full.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan With Alifbek and his wife, at their house for dinner; with starters
With Alifbek and his wife, at their house for dinner; with starters

After these starters, and conversation translated by Muayo in Moscow over WhatsApp; we moved onto the main course which was plov. This dish is eaten with your hands (no utensils), by all guests, from this one shared communal plate.

Must Try Dish
Local Dish plov is a must try dish which is mostly made from rice
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Plov (pilaf) arrived, delicious
Plov (pilaf) arrived, delicious

After we could not eat any more, talk turned to Alifbek, who is the “khalifa” or learned leader of the local Ismaili population and leads the prayers etc. He is also sought out by the other local Muslims for his learned knowledge, wisdom, advice, dispute settlement, and guidance on the future endeavors, etc. And for his help, they give him money, which is his income. He did tell me a little about myself, after writing down my name and my mother’s name in Arabic and consulting some books he had. Very interesting what he told us about me.

After this, we asked about evening prayers, and he took us outside, where we met a few other Ismaili’s that had gathered, and went into a house opposite, that served as a prayer hall upstairs.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Prayer room upstairs
Prayer room upstairs, with the Khalifa, Alifbek, and his niece Adisa
Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Male members of the congregation
Male members of the congregation

After prayers were finished, we were officially welcomed by the khalifa, and since the gentleman on my right in the picture above spoke good English (he worked in IT at the Agakhan School we had visited earlier that day), the khalifa asked through him, if we wanted to say a few words about ourselves. So, after racking our brains on what to say, we gave them a history about our Gujarati Indian Khoja origins, followed by migration of our grandparents to Kenya, Africa; two generations born in Kenya, and then to England to study, followed by migration to Canada and eventually to the USA. We told to them about our travels all over the world, and they were very interested as most of them had not traveled much. After a short while, we said our goodbye’s and went back across the street to Alifbek’s house; where we had Sher Chai; which is hot milk tea that has salt added in it. And you add a dollop of butter in it and drink that.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Sher Chai
Sher Chai

We had experienced the same salted milk tea in Hunza during our trip there, so salted tea seems to be a common theme in high mountain areas, in the Pamir region.

Must Try Drink
Sher Chai the Salted Tea is one of the speciality drinks of the region. One must not miss it

After some time, it was time to go back to the hotel; and Alifbek and his family gifted me with a Pamiri hat, Dilshad was gifted a scarf, and we were both gifted thick woolen socks that Alifbek’s wife had knitted herself. Such nice people showing wonderful hospitality and kindness to complete strangers; we were indeed humbled by this whole experience. Alifbek then dropped us off to our hotel, and we said fond goodbye’s. So magnanimous of Alifbek and his family.

Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan Our trip so far
Our trip so far

To Lenin Peak & Turpal kul (lake) next

This entry was posted in Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Silk Road Kyrgyzstan Sept 2019

29 thoughts on “Silk Road 16: More Osh, Kyrgyzstan

  • Pingback: Silk Road 17: Lenin Peak & Turpal kul, Kyrgyzstan - Ali Karim Travelog Asia

  • Erali Torogeldiev February 10, 2020 at 12:04 pm Reply

    I read your blog and it looks amazing, I will tell your regards to my brothers,
    I am happy to work with you and cooperation with you.

    • Ali Karim February 11, 2020 at 9:11 am Reply

      Erali, so nice to hear from you. We too were very happy with the trip you had organized for us, with Sherali and Ahmadali

  • Badru Walji February 8, 2020 at 7:29 pm Reply

    Dear Ali, I just saw your journey’s photos of OSH.So beautiful.You are so lucky to see all these countries.

    All the best.Keep going.

    • Ali Karim February 8, 2020 at 7:33 pm Reply

      Mr Walji, thanks you so much for your feedback of our Osh trip.
      So glad you enjoyed it.
      Yes, we are indeed blessed to be able to do everything we do; thanks to God.

      Appreciate it

  • Imtiaz Ali February 8, 2020 at 8:31 am Reply

    Hello Ali,

    Thanks for showing us the beautiful Osh city Kyrgz Republic, enjoyed a lot, really fantastic. The Aga Khan School in Osh was beautiful!

    • Ali Karim February 8, 2020 at 7:25 pm Reply

      Thanks Imtiaz, for your feedback; so glad you liked the Osh blogpost.
      Stay tuned for more….

  • Faqir Ullah Khan February 1, 2020 at 2:30 pm Reply

    Superb Collection and wonderful write up…!!!

    • Ali Karim February 1, 2020 at 2:51 pm Reply

      THank you Faqir, for the nice feedback

  • ALAMARA GIWANI January 30, 2020 at 8:34 pm Reply

    Wowser, what an awesome trip!!!!!!!

    • Ali Karim January 31, 2020 at 11:06 am Reply

      🙂

  • Farida and Zool Chatur January 30, 2020 at 6:47 pm Reply

    Ali: Thank you from bottom of our heart for sharing, We both enjoy reading your blog. You both are so blessed to be able to travel around the world and to most amazing places, cities and also meet locals. Beautiful pictures. May you both always be blessed, Love you both dear.

    • Ali Karim January 31, 2020 at 11:05 am Reply

      Thanks Farida and Zool; so glad you are enjoying our journey. And it is my pleasure to share; I encourage everyone to go and experience all the beauty and culture, people, in this world.
      Yes, we are indeed blessed to be able to travel like we do; and we thank god everyday for making this possible for us.
      Thanks again

  • Zahir Dharsee January 29, 2020 at 2:27 pm Reply

    Hi Ali – again a very good and informative write up. Your write up about the AK school in Osh answers my thoughts about the operations of these schools that opened in this part of the world in the 1990’s/2000’s. I recall reading about them in the Canadian Ismaili. As an alumnus of the AK school system in East Africa one has an emotional connection to these schools. I liked the pictures of the AKES sign and the details of the opening plaque. They make you feel proud as an Ismaili. Your interaction with the Khalifa and the congregation members about the history of the Khoja Ismailis of the Indian sub-continent and their global migration patterns and educational and professional achievements was a good example of the global encounters and the pluralism and diversity strengths that now form part our community legacy. It will serve as an example for other Ismaili communities to emulate. Again a good insight into the Osh part of Central Asia.

    • Ali Karim January 29, 2020 at 9:18 pm Reply

      Thanks Zahir, for your detailed feedback. Appreciate that

  • Navruzmo January 29, 2020 at 4:22 am Reply

    Such a nice place

    • Ali Karim January 29, 2020 at 9:17 pm Reply

      Thanks Navruzmo

  • Nailla Devraj January 28, 2020 at 1:11 pm Reply

    Nice post Ali. Pics are lovely. You’re so fortunate to be able to travel far and wide. I’m enjoying reading your travel logs.
    Thanks Nailla

    • Ali Karim January 28, 2020 at 1:12 pm Reply

      Hi Naila, Thanks so much for the feedback.
      Yes, we are indeed blessed to be able to travel and see the world far and wide, as travelers, and not as tourists 🙂
      The experiences we get from meeting the locals is nothing short of amazing.
      We are blessed; thanks to god.
      We want to travel like this until we no longer can 🙂
      Thanks again.

  • Mahamud Jinnah January 27, 2020 at 4:45 pm Reply

    Wow what an amazing experience. I love the school and the experience you had with the khalfa. Truly amazing. For me,this was the best part of your trip after hunza.

    • Ali Karim January 27, 2020 at 5:48 pm Reply

      HI Mahamud, So glad you enjoyed the blog. Yes this trip was as memorable as the Hunza trip. Stay tuned as more such interesting experiences will follow

  • Muslim Harji January 26, 2020 at 6:46 pm Reply

    Thanks a lot for sharing. most enjoyable…love to Dilshad.
    Love, Light & Cheers

    Muslim Harji

    • Ali Karim January 26, 2020 at 10:12 pm Reply

      Thanks Muslim, appreciate the feedback

  • Aly Manji January 25, 2020 at 7:22 pm Reply

    Ali Karim,

    Another beautiful blog allowing us to enjoy Osh as if we were right there with you. The changing of times from cultures was nice to see. The school was so special. It seems like they went out of their way for you by providing you with a private tour. The video from the mountain showing Osh was really nice. Your photographs are amazing allowing us to really enjoy all your amazing blogs.

    This time I have included my uncle who lives in Chicago and my aunt who resides in Edmonton. They are both here visiting us in Toronto. My aunt does a lot of travelling taking tour groups to various parts of the world. I’m asking her to start blogs on her tours allowing everyone to really enjoy her amazing travels. Her stories are awesome but just imagine with pictures. She will surely love reading and viewing the amazing photos and videos from all your blogs!

    You are a real inspiration to us all and thank you always from the very bottom of our hearts.

    We LOVED Osh!

    Huge HUGS and lots of LOVE!

    Shelifa and Aly

    • Ali Karim January 25, 2020 at 7:28 pm Reply

      Aly,
      Thanks for the very kind words; I really appreciate that, and I am humbled. Thanks.
      When we travel the way we do, we have many amazing experiences meeting local people; and it is very hard to capture them all in the blog; I can only capture a few of them.
      I’ll convey the rest of the experiences to you personally, if we ever have the opportunity to meet 🙂
      Thanks again, for the very kind words

  • Lin 林 顯 January 24, 2020 at 11:41 pm Reply

    Thanks for sharing, Ali

    That must be a wonderful experience.
    Take care,friend.

    Best regards.
    Lin

    • Ali Karim January 24, 2020 at 11:44 pm Reply

      Thanks Lin, for your feedback. It was definitely a wonderful and unique experience

  • Amir Mulji January 24, 2020 at 11:39 pm Reply

    Thanks a lot for sharing.

    • Ali Karim January 24, 2020 at 11:48 pm Reply

      Most welcome Amir; glad you are enjoying the travels

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *