Mount Ilias
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| Mount Ilias | |
|---|---|
| Bukit Ilias / Berg Ilias | |
 Mount Ilias at sunset | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 539.3 m (1,769 ft) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Bukit Ilias |
| Geography | |
| Location | Kekudusan Commune, Northeast Java Province |
Mount Ilias (Indonesian: Bukit Ilias; Dutch: Berg Ilias; Riysan: Jabal Ilyas) is a mountain on the island of Java, Hindia Belanda, which hosts the central administrative buildings of the Shia Convocation, the governing body of Esoteric Shi’ism subordinate to the Auxiliary Imamate, as well as several Esoteric Shia holy sites, terraced gardens and a natural reserve. On the crest of Mount Ilias are some of the most important buildings and structures of the Shia Convocation, including the Grand House of Remembrance, the Irfan Institution, the Batini Archives and the Shrines of Esoteric Shia figures. The summit and upper slopes of the mountain are completely landscaped and form part of the extensive terraced gardens which fades into a natural reserve covering the rest of the mountain. Due to the presence of Esoteric Shia holy sites, Mount Ilias is considered by Esoteric Shias as one of the Sacred Thresholds (Riysan: Al-Atabát al-Muqaddas, Dutch: Heilige drempels, Indonesian: Ambang batas suci), thus Esoteric Shias are expected to attain ritual purity before approaching the sacred sites on the mountain.
Mount Ilias is the only privately-owned mountain in Hindia Belanda, a unique situation which resulted from the signing of the 1833 Treaty of Bukit Ilias between the Auxiliary Imamate and the then colonial government. The treaty recognised the Auxiliary Imamate as a self-governing entity and afforded it with autonomous rights independent from the colonial government. The Auxiliary Imamate lost its self-governing status over Mount Ilias upon the independence of Hindia Belanda in 1929 but the mountain has remained in the possession of the Auxiliary Imamate ever since, following negotiations on the eve of Hindia Belandan independence. The territory which covers the mountain and its surrounding foothills belongs to the Auxiliary Imamate, but there are publicly-funded police and fire stations located throughout the area.
Access to Mount Ilias is open to the general public, although road access to the summit is limited to official vehicles of the Shia Convocation. Visitors can reach the summit in 5 minutes by riding an aerial tram from the base of Mount Ilias free of charge. It is possible although not advisable to climb the mountain by foot.