TURKMENISTAN - Nokhur

Nokhur (or Nokur) is a charming village located near the Kopet Dag mountains that separate Turkmenistan from Iran.
Nokhurli are different from other Turkmens. They claim to descend from Alexander the Great’s Greeks (like others across Central Asia) and they speak a dialect unrecognizable to other Turkmen speakers.
The cemetery of Nokhur is the obvious sight in this mountain village. Its graves, marked by the horns of mountain goats, point to burial rites steeped in animism, sprinkled with Zoroastrianism. The goat horns are there to fight off evil spirits, while the stones are marked with steps, to help the deceased ascend to heaven.