Where a «House of Devas», a top of the mountains of the Kopetdag ridge of Uchkui («Three Wells») and a Khur-Khuri waterfall can be found?
Residents of the village of Nohur in the Akhal velayat can easily answer these questions. This picturesque corner of nature, which is in the list of the most romantic places in the world, is located just a few hours' drive from Ashgabat.
However, the journey to Nohur begins long before arriving at the place. Already on the way, experienced tourists tell that according to legend, the name of the village is derived from the Persian word “nokh” which means “ten” and “khar” which means “donkey”. Local people believes that the first inhabitants who once settled in these mountainous natural places have been riding donkeys.
Famous ethnographer Galina Vasilyeva studied in detail the life and everyday life of the inhabitants of the village - the Nohurli tribe, and defended her Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Turkmens- Nohurli ".
Like many centuries ago, today's Nohurs live on a mountain plateau, among vineyards and pomegranate trees. Their dwellings are lined with mountain stone and are located on high slopes, so the inhabitants of these places see off the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
Having gone on a country walk, photographer and traveler Erkin Yazov shared with us his impressions of his trip.
“We were passing through Nohur, but even a short period of time was enough to understand how amazing the places and people who live here,” Erkin says. - In the morning we went on a hike to the waterfalls, the weather was sunny, and warm things, prudently taken with us, were not useful. The locals were harvesting and invited us to treat ourselves to fresh fruits - pears and pomegranates - straight from the trees. I was pleasantly surprised by the unusually sweet taste of the Nohur pear. And on the way back, the tourists from our group stocked up on medicinal herbs that are collected by local healers and tebips.
According to the established tradition, Nohurs cultivate vegetable gardens and orchards at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters above sea level, in narrow gorges and on mountain tops, collect and dry medicinal herbs. This "paradise" of nature is beautiful at any time of the year, especially in autumn, when the trees are gilded with yellow foliage.
There are many miracles in Nohur. This is a centuries-old plane tree, in the hollow of which several people can fit, and the holy place of Giz Bibi. According to the stories of residents, one has only to make a wish near Giz Bibi, a narrow crack in the rock, as it will certainly come true.
So, our traveler Erkin has made a wish to take another trip to this mountain village that can surprise you each time with new interesting discoveries.
Svetlana Chirtsova
Photo: Erkin Yazov.
