Baysun Mountains

A land of caves, gorges and ancient customs

Baysun is a mountain region in southern Uzbekistan. It has the Teshik-Tash cave, where in 1938 the bones of a 9-year-old Neanderthal boy were found — he lived 40,000 years ago! Baysun also has one of the world's longest caves — Festivalnaya (12 km). People here still sing ancient songs and hold the 'Baysun Spring' festival.

The Baysun Mountains are a south-western spur of the Hissar Range (up to 3,900 m) in Surkhandarya region. The Teshik-Tash cave (1938, A. Okladnikov) yielded Central Asia's first Neanderthal find (Mousterian culture, 40–70,000 years): a buried boy surrounded by ibex horns. Karst caves include Festivalnaya (12.5 km) and Boy-Bulok (1,158 m deep — the deepest in Asia); there are petroglyphs too. The Omonkhona healing springs. Baysun's cultural space was proclaimed a UNESCO 'Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage' in 2001: pre-Islamic and Zoroastrian customs, epic singing, the 'Baysun Spring' festival. The Surkhan Reserve protects markhor and Bukhara urial. The 'Iron Gate' pass on the Termez–Samarkand road was part of the Silk Road.

Fun facts

• Teshik-Tash yielded the bones of a Neanderthal boy from 40,000 years ago.
• Boy-Bulok cave is 1,158 m deep — the deepest in Asia.
• Baysun's customs are on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.