Sulayman-Too National Historical and Archaeological Museum, Osh

Sulayman-Too National Historical and Archaeological Museum, Osh

The Sulayman-Too National Historical and Archaeological Museum is certainly one of the most unique museums in Kyrgyzstan, if not one of the most unique buildings. A natural cave was expanded to make room for a museum with 13 rooms and artifacts related to spiritual history. At the base of Sulayman-Too is a larger museum with over 33,000 exhibits about the history, archaeology, art and nature of southern Kyrgyzstan.

The museum located in the cave is made up of two separate levels. Visitors enter through the lower level, which is entirely made of manmade caves. The artifacts displayed here are related to different religious practices, from shamanism to animism, to some of the major world religions. The second floor, made of a natural cave, opens through the front facade to a panoramic view of Osh.

At the base of the mountain is another museum, called the Silk Road Museum, this one dedicated to the fact the Sulayman Too is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site completely in Kyrgyzstan. Here one can find even more information about the region, its nature, and its history, through ancient manuscripts, coins, household items, felt products, books, and photographs.