Thaba Bosiu formerly known as Qiloane, became famous because this is where the Basotho nation was founded by Moshoeshoe I. Moshoeshoe was born in about 1786, during the era of Mohlomi, at Menkhoaneng in the northern part of present-day Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the BaMokoteli branch of the Koena clan. Moshoeshoe was known at that time by the name Lepoqo. Accordi
ng to his own testimony, the name Lepoqo meant that he was born at the time of a domestic dispute. Thaba-Bosiu is Lesotho's great national monument and the most important historical site, a steep mountain with a large flat top East of Maseru. It is situated in the Valley of Phuthiatsana River. Thaba-Bosiu means "Mountain of the Night" or “Mountain at Night”, perhaps because, as legend has it, Moshoeshoe first arrived there in the evening, and immediate protective measures took all night to install. A more compelling reason, and the one most Basotho prefer, is that the mountain, which does not look particularly high or impressive by day, seems to grow inexorably as night falls, becoming huge and unconquerable. It is on this mountain where Moshoeshoe and his people took occupation of, which his brother Mohale had reconnoitred, in July 1824.
