Sulaiman Mountains

Sulaiman Mountains

Coordinates: 30°30′N 70°10′E / 30.5°N 70.167°E / 30.5; 70.167

Satellite image of a part of the Sulaiman Range.

The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of northern Balochistan province of Pakistan and Zabul province of Afghanistan. It is the bordering region between the Iranian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent, located to the east of the Lut Desert and to the west of the Indus River. Bordering the Sulaiman Range to the north are the arid highlands of the Hindu Kush, with more than 50 percent of the lands there lying above 2,000 m (6,500 feet). The highest peak of Sulaiman Mountains is Takht-e-Sulaiman, 3,487 metres (11,440 ft) in Balochistan, Pakistan. In comparison, the highest point in Balochistan, at 3,578 metres (11,739 ft), is Zarghoon Ghar in Quetta.[1]

The Sulaiman Range, [2] and the high plateau to the west and southwest of it, helps form a natural barrier against the humid winds that blow from the Indian Ocean, creating arid conditions across Southern Afghanistan to the north. In contrast, the relatively flat and low-lying Indus Delta is situated due east and south of the Sulaiman Mountains. This lush delta is prone to heavy flooding and is mostly uncultivated wilderness.

Contents

Range

Afghanistan physical en.png

Takht-e-Sulaiman 3,483 metres (11,427 ft), Koh-i-Takatu 3,472 metres (11,391 ft), Kaisargarh 3,444 metres (11,299 ft), and Giandari are some of the mountain peaks in the Sulaiman range. The mountain range enters in Punjab in Dera Ghazi Khan district and approaches the Indus river near Mithankot in Rajanpur district of Punjab.

Legends

The legend of the Sulaiman mountain range is east of Quetta (Pakistan), overlooking the plain of the Indus river. One of the highest peaks (11,085 feet) is called Takht-i Sulaiman, meaning Solomon's Throne. Ibn Battuta names it Koh-i Sulaiman. [3] it is related, that the Prophet of God, Hazrat Sulaiman climbed this mountain and looked out over the land of South Asia, which was then covered with darkness - but he turned back without descending into this new frontier, and left only the mountain which is named after him. (From Ibn Battuta)

Local inhabitants believe that Prophet Sulaiman, by exercising his miraculous power, had confined those mischievous Jinns inside it who had refused to obey his command. The evil-spirited Jinns are supposed to remain imprisoned almost all the year, and in Safar, the second month of the Islamic calendar, they are allowed to go free for a while. During this month, after darkness falls over the region, mothers restrict their children within their homes as a precaution against the evil effects of these Jinns.[4]

Al-Biruni writes of this mountain range in his memoirs as being the western frontier mountains of South Asia and the homeland of the people known as the Afghans or Pashtuns.

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sulaiman — may refer to:People with the given name Sulaiman:* Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait (1922 2005), Indian politician * Sulaiman (Brunei) (15th century), fourth sultan of Brunei * Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (born circa 1965), Al Qaida s official spokesman * Sulaiman… …   Wikipedia

  • Sulaiman al-Nahdi — Sulaiman Awath Sulaiman Bin Ageel Al Nahdi is a citizen of Yemen, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. [http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf list of prisoners (.pdf)] , US… …   Wikipedia

  • Sulaiman Range — Mountain range, central Pakistan, west of the Indus River. It extends about 280 mi (450 km), with summits averaging 6,000–7,000 ft (1,800–2,100 m) tall. The highest peaks, at the northern end, are the twin peaks called Solomon s Throne. The… …   Universalium

  • Takht-e-Sulaiman — Infobox Mountain Name = Takht e Sulaiman Photo = Caption = Elevation = 3,487 m (11,437 feet) Location = Pakistan Range = Sulaiman Mountains Prominence = Coordinates = First ascent = Easiest route = For a site in West Azarbaijan, Iran known by the …   Wikipedia

  • Zagros Mountains — Topographic map of Iran with the Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains from space, September 1992 …   Wikipedia

  • Daraban — Kalan   Town and Tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan   Country Pakistan Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa District Dera Ismail Khan District Tehsil …   Wikipedia

  • Afghanistan — Islamic Republic of Afghanistan جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان Jomhūrī ye Eslāmī ye Afġānistān (Persian) د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت Da Afġānistān Islāmī Jomhoriyat …   Wikipedia

  • Geography of Pakistan — Country geography name = Pakistan continent = Asia region = Southern Asia Indian subcontinent coordinates = 30°00 N 70°00 E area ranking = 36th km area = 880940 percent land = 97.13 km coastline = 1064 borders = Total:… …   Wikipedia

  • Giandari — Infobox Mountain Name = Giandari Photo = | Caption = Elevation = 1,250 metres (4,100 ft) Location = Pakistan Range = Sulaiman Mountains Prominence = Coordinates = coord|29|04|60|N|69|43|0|E|type:mountain First ascent = | Easiest route = Giandari… …   Wikipedia

  • Dera Ghazi Khan — ڈیرہ غازی خان (dera)   Mid of PAKISTAN   DGKHAN …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”