Nokhur village - where Noah got off the ark

Nokhur is a village in the Akhal velayat of Turkmenistan. Located in the west of the Kopetdag ridge, in the mountains, at an altitude of 1000-1100 meters above sea level. Moreover, it is the first place you must see if you are interested in places isolated from the modern life. The village of Nokhur was included in the list of “100 most romantic places in the world”.

According to legend, the name Nokhur comes from the name of the prophet Noah, whose ark, after a forty-day voyage, moored to Mount Manoman. The local old-timers tell a legend explaining the richness of the flora and fauna of Nokhur. It is believed that in time immemorial, Noah released all animals and birds in these mountains and planted all the seeds that were stored on the ark.

Nokhur mountain tribe, who have preserved their culture, traditional crafts and architecture, inhabit the village of Nokhur. The villages of Old and New Nokhur on a mountain plateau are two-storey houses of original architecture, laid out on the slopes of mountain stone, among vineyards, almond and pomegranate trees. Highlanders cultivate vegetable gardens and orchards in hard-to-reach places, narrow gorges and on mountaintops, at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters above sea level.

In the area of the village of Nokhur, there is the Nohur waterfall (sharlavuk Khur-Khura), 53 meters high, originating in several small mountain springs, but in 2019 the rock collapsed, and now the height is only 3 meters. Due to the parsing of water for irrigation, the waterfall does not function for most of the year. In the area of the village of Nokhur there is a cave "House of Deva" - a narrow crevice. The highest point of the Kopetdag is also located here, which is called Uchkui - “Three wells”. A huge centuries-old plane tree grows in Nohur with the hollow of which several people can fit. On the outskirts of the village, there is a place where desires come true - Giz Bibi, a narrow crack in the rock, which the locals consider one of the gates to paradise.

cemetery

 

plane tree

 

The Nokhur cemetery is one of the famous places of the isolated village and nearly every grave is marked by wooden post adorned with the horns of a mountain goat. The mountain tribe of the region have always considered mountain goats sacred animals for their strength and endurance. The reverence of mountain goats clearly predates Islamic traditions, and though today the Nokhuris are devout Muslims, this part of their ancient belief system has continued to survive.

The goat horns are thought to fight off evil spirits and help the souls of the deceased to ensure a safe passage to heaven. In addition, skulls of mountain goats are found at some of the houses’ doorways of the village as well. Houses of the Nokhur village are made from unshaped thin mountain stones instead of bricks. However, it is possible to come across modern brick houses in the village. The streets between the houses, except the main streets, are too narrow to fit two cars at the same time.