Kyrgyzstan rejects cable car plan for sacred Sulaiman-Too mountain

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Culture has firmly rejected a proposal to construct a cable car on the sacred Sulaiman-Too mountain in Osh, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Minister of Culture Mirbek Mametaliyev declared that the ministry "will receive a negative answer" to the initiative, which he described as a personal suggestion from the city's mayor.

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Will receive a negative answer.

Mametaliyev emphasized that such decisions must adhere to national legislation and Kyrgyzstan's international commitments to preserving cultural heritage sites. "This is a sacred mountain, so we must preserve it," he stated, adding that building a cable car is "completely unacceptable."

Instead of a cable car, the ministry plans to undertake reconstruction and restoration work on Sulaiman-Too. The World Bank has allocated approximately 12 million soms for these efforts. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture is reassessing the boundaries of the mountain's buffer zone, having officially requested UNESCO to consider reducing its area.

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This is a sacred mountain, so we must preserve it.

Sulaiman-Too is a significant historical and cultural symbol for Osh and southern Kyrgyzstan. Its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 recognized its special cultural and spiritual value. The mayor of Osh, Zhanar Akayev, had previously proposed removing the mountain from the UNESCO list.

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building a cable car on Sulaiman-Too is completely unacceptable.