Khoja Mumin

Khoja Mumin is a salt dome: a mass of rock salt pushed up through the overlying rock over millions of years until it stands as a hill several hundred metres above the surrounding plain, with an estimated reserve running into the billions of tonnes. Rain has cut caves, pinnacles and gullies into the salt, and in places the rock is translucent. A shrine stands on the summit and the salt is quarried on the lower slopes.

What you actually see

• The salt mountain - a dome of rock salt standing above the plain.
• The salt caves - chambers dissolved into the mass by rainwater.
• The pinnacles - spires and gullies cut into the soft rock.
• The summit shrine - the pilgrimage site on the top.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the most comfortable. Summer heat here is severe with no shade. Rain makes the salt surfaces treacherous.

Honest expectations

The salt is slippery when wet and dangerous. There is no path marking and no facilities. Quarrying operates on parts of the hill.

Nearby

Kulob is east, and Hulbuk is northeast.