Nokhur

About this place

Nokhur is a mountain village in the Kopet Dag range of Ahal Province, home to about 6,000 people and known for its traditions and its unusual cemetery. It lies about 127 km in a straight line west of Ashgabat. The village stayed far from modernisation, so its people, the Nohurli, have kept their way of life and their own Turkmen dialect. They consider themselves descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers, and a stone is said to hold the hoofprint of his horse. The name's origin is disputed: some link it to Noah, others read it as «nine peri», or fairies, from Persian. The village is best known for a cemetery whose headstones are decorated with rams' horns, a custom peculiar to Nokhur, and its houses with green and red roofs spread across the valley slope. Beyond the cemetery lies the Gyz Bibi cave shrine, tied to the legend of the peri. About 5 km from the Chandybil tourist centre is the Khur-Khuri waterfall, and the Ai Dere canyon holds a chain of waterfalls and plunge pools. Residents respect the cemetery, so walk quietly, do not touch the headstones, and ask before photographing people. Dress modestly, and hire a local guide for the trails, as the tracks are mountainous.