SULAIMAN RANGE

mountain mass in central Pakistan, extending southward about 280 miles (450 km) from the Gumal Pass to just north of Jacobabad, separating the North-West Frontier Province and Punjab from Balochistan. Its heights gradually decrease toward the south, with summits averaging 6,0007,000 feet (1,8002,100 m), the highest being the twin peaks (30 miles from the Gumal Pass) called Takht-i-Sulaim an, or Solomon's Throne, which legend connects with Solomon's visit to Hindustan; the higher of the peaks, at 18,481 feet (5,633 m), is the site of a ziyarat (shrine) visited annually by many pilgrims. The range's eastern face dips steeply to the Indus River, but on the west the range declines more gradually. Juniper and edible pines abound in the north and olives in the centre, but vegetation is scarce in the south. The Ghat, Zao, Chuhar Khel Dhana, and Sakhi Sarwar are the principal passes in the north. In the south, west of Dera Ghazi Khan, lies the hill station of Fort Munro (6,303 feet ).