Osh. The Ancient Settlements

Legends of Mount Takhte-Suleiman

Osh ... Debating the etymology of this name, scholars still cannot reach a consensus — its roots go back so far into the depths of centuries.

Equally ancient is its centuries-old history, intertwined with legends about the famous Mount Takhte-Suleiman (translated from Arabic as "Throne of Solomon").

According to some traditions, in ancient times, the Muslim "saint" Azrat Suleiman — the Prophet, considered a messenger of Allah on earth and his representative among the faithful, settled here and administered justice. According to other tales (of "the deceased, noble, and pure-hearted" people), a poor Kyrgyz named Suleiman lived here. He lived for so long that over time this place began to be called "Takhte Suleiman," i.e., "the throne where Suleiman sits." Either way — whether the mythical sage or the legendary Kyrgyz Suleiman — it is no coincidence that they chose this beautiful mountain as their dwelling place. In the distant past, it was called Bара-Кух — "Beautiful Mountain," which proudly rises above the city. From it, one can see the foothills of the largest high mountain system — "the Roof of the World." About it, an ancient author poetically said: "Where the Fergana Valley meets the Pamir, the blue outline of the four-headed mountain trembles like an ice cube in a glass."

In the early 20th century, a Turkish-language newspaper "Vakt" ("Time") published a folk legend about the founding of Osh in Orenburg.

In the eastern part of the Fergana Valley lies the city of Osh, about the origin of whose name there exists a simple legend.

Previously, the place where the city is located was farmland. One day, during plowing, a sick bull fell and could not get up. And the owner, trying to lift it, kept shouting: "Khosh," "khosh." (Many herders from Turkic-speaking tribes drove cattle with the shouts "khosh," "khosh.") It is said that from here the area subsequently received the name "Osh."

In this straightforward legend, one can clearly sense the desire to explain the name of the city, about the origin of which no reliable data has been preserved.

There is also another Muslim tale on the same topic, directly related to the biblical Suleiman — King Solomon. He was leading his army and was driving a pair of oxen with a plow ahead. When the oxen reached the famous mountain, Solomon said: "Khosh!" ("Enough!"). Thus, it is said, the name of the city that appeared here came about. This legend is as naive as the previous one. And, of course, it does not explain either the fact of the city's emergence or the etymology of its name, but it testifies to the antiquity of the agricultural activities of the inhabitants of these places.

There were also other versions of similar tales, indicating the level of knowledge that was already satisfied with such explanations.

In the "Treatise on the City of Osh," preserved in the manuscript collections of the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, there is a legend about the prophet Suleiman, who "was" in Osh and gave the city water. "And they also say that the residents of Osh turned to the holy prophet Suleiman: 'The city of Osh has very little water, and we see no way out of this situation.'

The holy Suleiman commanded the devs: 'Take the mountain that stands by the river and clear the path for the water.' The devs fulfilled the command of the holy Suleiman, and since then there has been enough WATER in the city of Osh..."

Scholars are trying to shed light on the reliable pages of the city's history in the past. For this, archaeologists have laid excavations in Osh itself.

For many years, systematic archaeological work has been carried out there.

So what can be said today, based on the scant written sources and unfinished archaeological excavations, about the beginnings of Osh?