Lesotho Edition
Regional/Cultural Day
Thaba Bosiu Pilgrimage
Thaba Bosiu (Mountain of the Night) is the fortress where Moshoeshoe I established his capital in 1824. The mountain is 120 meters high, with cliffs on all sides, and it was never conquered by an enemy. The name means "Mountain of the Night" because Moshoeshoe arrived at night and the mountain seemed to grow larger by morning. Every year, Basotho make a pilgrimage to Thaba Bosiu to honor Moshoeshoe and the ancestors. The climb to the summit takes about an hour, and at the top are the graves of Moshoeshoe and his descendants, as well as the ruins of the original settlement. The view from the top stretches across the lowlands to the Maluti Mountains, and it is one of the most sacred sites in Lesotho.
