Our convoy snaked north along the Pamir Plateau Highway, known as the "Roof road of the world", in the direction of Osh, the capital of Osh State.
From Sarretash to Osh, it is only more than 200 kilometers away. However, because Sarretash is located on the Pamir Plateau at an altitude of more than 3,600 meters, the highways are mostly winding mountain roads, coupled with the stirring of rare natural landscapes along the way, we often have to park, stop, appreciate, and take pictures, so as long as the normal 3-hour drive, our convoy has driven for more than 5 hours.
Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan and is also known as the "Southern Capital of Kyrgyzstan" because it is located at the southeastern end of the Fergana Basin in southern Kyrgyzstan.
It is an ancient Islamic city with a history of more than 3,000 years and is one of the oldest settlements in Central Asia. In the 8th century AD, it was already a world-famous silk production and processing center on the Silk Road. Now, this former important town on the ancient Silk Road is hidden about 20 meters under the city.
Osh
With the link of the ancient Silk Road, Osh and ancient China have always had a deep relationship. Today, in the Karasu area, more than 20 kilometers away from Osh, there is still a mall operated by thousands of Chinese merchants, which has become a distribution center for Chinese materials in Kyrgyzstan.
If you look closely, Osh's relationship with China goes far beyond that. As early as the Han Dynasty in China, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu competed for the Hexi Corridor, and decided to unite with the Great Moon Clan to attack the invincible Xiongnu from the east and west, so Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions.
The western region at that time was all over Central Asia today. Dawanguo was the first stop of Zhang Qian's trip to chisel the air.
Zhang Qian returned to China from Central Asia and told Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that Dawan had more than seventy large and small subordinates, with a population of hundreds of thousands, and was a country with a thriving agriculture and animal husbandry industry, producing rice, wheat, grapes, and alfalfa...
At that time, Dawan was bordered by Kangju in the northwest, Dayueshi and Bactria in the southwest, Wusun in the northeast, and Shule in the east through the Turk Pass in Pamir, occupying a very important position in the east-west traffic. Zhang Qian also specially reported to Emperor Wu of Han the "Heavenly Horse" of the "Second Division" city of the capital city of Dawan.
This "second master" is "Osh".
Lenin Square
In order to obtain this unparalleled sweat and blood BMW, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty sent the general Li Guangli with a large amount of gold and silver treasures to lead the army to the "Second Division" to exchange for the "Dawan Horse", and also triggered the famous Battle of Han to attack Dawan...
The wheels of history roll forward, leaving only the imprint of the times. Our cars are also speeding forward, constantly forgetting the beautiful scenery along the way - endless meadows, patches of farmland, small houses...
As the car drove into the city, I saw the scene: modern high-rise buildings and ancient buildings side by side, reflecting each other; the ruins and walls left here and there silently tell the vicissitudes of this ancient city; although it is the twenty-first century, there are still traces of the former Soviet Union, even the pace of people's lives is slow and slow, it feels like going back to the 1980s.
Locals say that the industrial base of the city was established during the Soviet period, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the industry here began to decline. Although the current urban industry has signs of recovery, people still miss the period of the former Soviet Union, because at least then everyone has something to do, unlike now, many people have nothing to do, waste time...
Around 1:00 p.m., we came to the foot of a mountain called Suleiman Hill in the city center.
Mount Suleiman
Mount Suleiman is located high in the Fergana Valley, only 191.3 meters high, but it is formed by the confluence of 5 peaks, forming a natural barrier of 1663 meters in Osh. Because it was at the crossroads of the important routes of the Silk Roads in Central Asia, it was more than a century and a half. It has always been a landmark for travelers or caravans.
What really makes this mountain famous, however, is the legend that the Prophet Muhammad prayed on the mountain, which is considered a sacred mountain of Islam and known locally as "Mecca".
We climbed up the stone path between the mountains. The mountains are not very high, but they are not easy to walk. The stone steps pass through the narrow cliffs, and from time to time you will see huge rocks hanging on the mountainside, as if a wind will blow down, making people tremble and be frightened. The strange stones are carved with dense names, and the branches are covered with various strips of cloth symbolizing good fortune.
In this rugged and rocky Suleiman Hill, we see more than 3,000 years of history for the Osh people.
In the mountains, there are two mosques rebuilt in the 16th century; there are many caves scattered on the mountain, and there are more than a hundred petroglyphs on the cliffs of the caves: people, animals, obscure and esoteric geometric figures, simple and thrifty production and life...
On top of the five peaks, there are numerous pilgrimage sites scattered, and more than a dozen of them still welcome pilgrims from all over the world. For thousands of years, countless pilgrims have come here, and their footprints have connected these pilgrimage sites.
Together, these remaining monuments have become kyrgyzstan's only world cultural heritage.
Cave History Museum
In order to protect the petroglyphs, the locals chiseled through all the caves and built a huge "cave" history museum.
In addition to the petroglyphs, there are many other precious cultural relics on display: the tools used for hunting at that time, specimens of prey such as Tianshan bears, wild boars, camels, etc., stone tools, pottery, bronze tools from various periods...
These ancient cultural relics are a testimony to the historical changes of the ancient city of Osh for more than 3,000 years, and the testimony of the generations of Osh people who have been deeply attached to this homeland like a lover.
Suddenly, I remembered a poem by the modern female poet Xi Murong, "History Museum":
Can a person's life be like a museum?
In the beginning, there was only that round of mountain moon,
And the cave in the extremely cold and dark memory.
And then you smile and come up to me,
On a cool morning, floating clouds spread out.
Since I should follow the path to meet you,
Please let us settle in a place with abundant water and grass.
I will learn to do this on the oracle bone,
And burn love and faith into it,
In the faience with water streaks and clouds.
At that time, all the stories,
All begin at the edge of an aromatic river,
Wading through the river, a thousand flowers of hibiscus,
Poetry is also simple, and the heart is also simple.
When I think about it, I have some understanding: human love and faith, as if very complicated, seem to be very simple!
Many of the people I see going up the mountain are young partners. Locals tell us that this most complete sacred mountain in Central Asia has been endowed with many supernatural functions: healing from pregnancy, headaches, back pain... It even makes people live a long life. Now that the holy mountain has been given a new meaning, the local young people must go to the holy mountain to make a wish when they get married, and hang the cloth with the wish on the branches of the mountain, in order to pray to the prophet to bless them with loyal love.
Coming out of the cave, we came to a high point at the top of the hill, from where we could see the whole picture of Osh. Looking around, the whole of Osh can be seen, and the sudden feeling is refreshing.
In the afternoon, we drove back to the city of Osh.
Looking back at Suleiman Hill, I saw that it was completely free of the strange rocky appearance it had when it entered the mountain. At this time, the Lyman Mountain Range is like a sleeping girl, beautiful and quiet!
She lay there quietly, her rounded forehead, her small nose, her lovely chin, her slender neck, her towering breasts, her long torso, and even her feet clearly visible; and the woods of the mountains, like the hair of a maiden' head, cascaded down to the foot of the mountain.
At this moment, there was exactly a touch of white clouds surrounding the mountains, like a silk quilt wrapped around the waist of a young girl!