Mount Qaf

Mount Qaf (also known as Qaf-Kuh, Cafcuh, or Kafkuh in Persian; Jabal Qaf or Djebel Qaf in Arabic; Koh-i-Qaf, Kuh-i-Qaf or Kuh-e Qaf in Persian; and Kaf Dağı in Turkish) is a legendary mountain central to Middle Eastern mythology.

In early Arab traditions, Mount Qaf is described as a magnificent creation of God, fashioned from brilliant emerald and serving as the homeland of the jinn. Arabic lore depicts it as the most distant point on Earth, located beyond the encircling ocean at the world's edge. Some traditions even associate it with the North Pole due to its extreme remoteness.

According to accounts attributed to Hatim Tai, the Qaf Mountains consist of green emerald, peridot, or chrysolite, whose reflection supposedly gives the sky its bluish-green tint. Beyond being the dwelling place of the jinn race, it marks the boundary where the unseen divine realm begins. In Arabic literature, Qaf stands as the highest and most primordial of all mountain ranges created by Allah to support the Earth. As the parent mountain, it connects to all other mountains through subterranean extensions. The vast oceans that encircle the known world separate Mount Qaf from the realm of humans.

This cosmic mountain symbolizes the meeting point of natural and supernatural worlds and the connection between earthly and celestial realms. Legends say that mythical birds like the anqa and rukh make their home there. The emerald cities of Jabulqa and Jabulsa, shrouded in darkness, reportedly lie adjacent to Mount Qaf.

In the 13th century, Zakariya al-Qazwini's influential work "The Wonders of Creation" outlined a cosmology where God holds up the sky to prevent it from falling to Earth. The Earth, described as flat (though later Islamic scholars considered it round), is secured in place by mountains including Mount Qaf. This Earth rests on Kuyuthan, which stands upon Bahamut, a massive fish swimming in a cosmic ocean contained within a bowl balanced atop an angel or jinn.

Some scholars suggest that the Jabal Qaf of Muslim cosmology parallels Rupes Nigra, with the ascent of either mountain representing a pilgrim's spiritual progression, similar to Dante's climb up the Mountain of Purgatory.