| Sulaiman Mountains | |
|---|---|
| د كسې غرونه / کوه سليمان | |
 Satellite image of a part of the Sulaiman Range | |
| Highest point | |
| Coordinates | 30°30′N70°10′E / 30.500°N 70.167°E /30.500; 70.167 |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 6,475 km2 (2,500 sq mi) |
| Geography | |
  Sulaiman Mountains Location Show map of Balochistan, Pakistan Sulaiman Mountains Sulaiman Mountains (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan | |
| Location | Zabul,Kandahar andLoya Paktia,Afghanistan, northernBalochistan, andFATA,Pakistan |
| Parent range | Hindu Kush |
TheSulaiman Mountains Range[a] are a north–south extension of the southernHindu Kush mountain system in westernPakistan and easternAfghanistan. They rise to form the eastern edge of theIranian plateau.[1] They extend from theKandahar,Zabul andPaktia provinces of Afghanistan across the northernBalochistan,Waziristan andKurram ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. In southwesternPunjab, the mountains extend into theDera Ghazi Khan andRajanpur districts, which are located west of theIndus River on the boundary with Balochistan. Bordering the mountains to the east are the plains of the Indus River valley, and to the north are the arid highlands of the Central Hindu Kush whose heights extend up to 3,383 m (11,099 ft).[2] The total area on which this range spans around 6,475 km2 (2,500 sq mi).[3] Together with theKirthar Mountains on the border between Balochistan andSindh Province, the Sulaiman Mountains form the Sulaiman-Kirthar geologic province.[4]
The most well-known peak of the Sulaimans is the twin-peakedTakht-e-Sulaiman at 3,487 m (11,440 ft),[5] located nearDarazinda inDera Ismail Khan Subdivision, close to the border with bothSouth Waziristan and theZhob District of neighboring Balochistan. The highest peak isZarghun Ghar at 3,578 m (11,739 ft) nearQuetta. The next highest peak in Balochistan province is Khilafat Hill at 3,475 m (11,401 ft) located in theZiarat District of Pakistan and is famous for theZiarat Juniper Forest, whereJuniperus macropoda trees grow.[6]
The eastern edge of the Sulaiman range runs 280 miles (450 km) from theGomal Pass in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to near the city ofJacobabad inSindh province,[7] and further stretches into south-west Punjab.
In Afghanistan, the western edge of the range starts just beyond the northern Loya Paktia province where they meet theKoh-i-Baba range. South from there, they meet theSpin Ghar range northeast ofGardez inPaktia province, but towards west, the mountain range drops gradually inKandahar southwest intoHelmand and theSistan Basin.[citation needed]
The Sulaiman Range, and the high plateaus to the west of it, helps form a natural barrier against the humid winds that blow from theIndian Ocean, creating arid conditions across southern and central Afghanistan to the west and north. In contrast, the relatively flat and low-lyingIndusdelta is situated due east and south of the Sulaimans.
Rivers that drain the Sulaimans include theGomal River which flows eastward into theIndus River, and theDori River and other small tributaries of theArghandab River, which flow southwestward into theHelmand River.[citation needed]
The Sulaimans were formed as afold and thrust belt as theIndian Plate collided intoEurasian Plate beginning about 30 million years ago.[8] The Indian Plate's counter-clockwise rotation as it collided with the Eurasian Plate resulted in the Sulaiman's having some of the most complex tectonic structures in the world,[8] including "stacking" of thrust faults.[9] The complex fault-system is capable of producingdoublet earthquakes that jump to other faults - such as the1997 Harnai earthquake in which a magnitude 7.1 earthquake triggered a 6.8 earthquake 19 seconds later on a second fault 50 kilometres away.[10]
Areas in the southern part of the range include anImbricate fan of slices of rocks in close parallel,[8] bounded by faults on either side of each slice.[11] Along the Eastern edge of the Sulaimans is the Sulaiman Fold, an area within the Indian Plate consisting of sediment, alongside which runs theOrnach Nal-Ghazaband-Chaman Fault.[12]
One of the highest peaks of the range, the Takht-i Sulaiman ("Throne of Solomon") at 3,382 metres (11,096 ft) high, was recorded byIbn Battuta as theKoh-i Sulaiman.[13] It is associated with ProphetSolomon. According to the legend, Prophet Solomon climbed this mountain and looked out over the land ofHind, which was then covered with darkness, and so turned back without descending into this new frontier, and left only the mountain which is named after him (as told by Ibn Battuta).[14]
Another legend says thatQais Abdur Rashid, said to be the legendary ancestor of the Pashtun nation, is buried atop Takht-e-Sulaiman, and so it is also locally known asDa Kasī Ghar (د کسي غر, "Mount of Qais").
Trips to the mountain is undertaken mostly in summer, since from late November until March the snowfall makes it difficult to climb.[15]
