Pakistan
Takht-e-Sulaiman
Solomon's Throne โ a sacred peak holy to three faiths, visible a hundred kilometres across borderland.
The peak materialises from the haze of the Sulaiman Range like a throne set above the borderlands. Locals call it Solomon's Throne โ a summit sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Hindus alike, where the air carries the weight of three faiths' worth of pilgrimage. The ascent is steep, the rock ancient, and the view from the top extends across a hundred kilometres of tribal territory stretching to the Afghan frontier.
Takht-e-Sulaiman rises to 3,487 metres in the Sherani district of northern Balochistan, the highest peak of the Sulaiman Range. The mountain is named after the Prophet Solomon, and a small shrine at the summit has drawn pilgrims for centuries. Hindu tradition also associates the peak with the Pandavas, and pre-Islamic worship sites have been documented on its slopes. The Sulaiman Range runs roughly north-south along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and the view from the summit encompasses both countries' territories. The ascent is non-technical but physically demanding โ a full day's climb from the nearest road. The surrounding Sherani tribal area is remote and sparsely populated, home to Pashtun pastoral communities whose hospitality is legendary among the few outsiders who pass through.
Friends
The summit push is demanding and the setting is remote โ the kind of shared expedition that works best with a tight, experienced group who can appreciate both the physical and cultural weight of the climb.
- The summit at 3,487 metres is sacred to Muslims, Hindus, and Zoroastrians โ all three traditions claim Solomon prayed or rested here, making it one of the subcontinent's few tri-faith peaks.
- A ziarat โ Muslim shrine โ on the summit is maintained by local Sherani communities, who regard the peak as the spiritual centre of Balochistan.
- The climb from the base village takes 5-6 hours on unmarked trails through cedar and pine forest โ no ropes, no fixed protection, no infrastructure.
- The summit views extend across southern Afghanistan, the Sulaiman Range, and the Indus plain โ a 360-degree panorama from a borderland peak that few outsiders have stood on.
Tribal hospitality means whole roasted lamb served on communal platters โ the sajji tradition at its most generous.
Cardamom green tea in tiny glasses, refilled constantly as a mark of Pashtun welcome in Sherani territory.
Mons Porphyrites
Egypt
The Roman Empire's only source of imperial purple stone, quarries still scarring red mountains.
Oribi Gorge
South Africa
A forested canyon 400 metres deep โ the gorge swing sends you screaming over the void.
Gebel Uweinat
Egypt
Prehistoric rock art galleries at the meeting point of Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
Mount Hikurangi
New Zealand
The mainland's first peak to catch each sunrise, sacred ground where Mฤui beached his waka.
Gondrani Caves
Pakistan
Hundreds of cave dwellings honeycomb a desert cliff โ an ancient city hollowed from Balochistan sandstone.
Hingol National Park
Pakistan
Wind-carved rock pillars resembling alien temples standing guard over Pakistan's most surreal coastline.
Peshawar
Pakistan
Copper-pot green tea in the Bazaar of Storytellers where Pashtun merchants have traded for millennia.
Khewra Salt Mine
Pakistan
Amber tunnels inside a salt mine so vast it contains its own mosque and railway.