Nokhur
Encyclopedia
Nokhur is a settlement located in Turkmenistan
.. The area is known for sacred places connected to the Persian
legend of the Peri
, most notably the Gyz-bibi cave. According to the Turkmenistan government website, the origin of the name of Nohur is disputed, with some locals believing it derived from Noah
(many places in the region carry Biblical
names) and some from the Peri themselves, as "no" and "hur" translate "nine peri". The small and relatively untouched village of Nohur rests in an unmarked valley of the Kopet Dag
Mountains, which make up the border of Iran
and southern Turkmenistan. The people of Nohur dress and act conservatively, and their traditions have been able to survive Turkmenistan’s modernization because of the remoteness of their village.
Nohurli consider themselves as descendents from Alexander the Great.
Upper Nohur has Farmers’ Association “Yenish” which includes two villages. The project area totals 15,5 thousand hectares. The population of the two villages makes up 8,7 thousand inhabitants that stands for 12,3 % of rural population of Baharly etrap
(district
), Ahal
velayat (province), Turkmenistan.
s experience overgrazing that exceeds the norm 3-4 times because cattle
breeding has been transformed into local people’s main source of income. This has resulted in the degradation of mountain pastures and the extinction of valuable forage species and medicinal plants.
Forest vegetation is heavily degraded as a consequence of cutting wood for fuel and construction needs. Soil erosion, heavy mud flows and the formation of ravine
s have led to the reduction of cultivable areas and as soil fertility.
Water scarcity is also a very important problem of this region, due to low precipitation. Traditionally villagers gather the run-off from mountain slope
s and gorges in specially built reservoirs called howdans. In favourable years the howdans store sufficient water to irrigate the fields during one season. But during 2000-2005 the howdans were left unfilled due to insufficient precipitations
.
Muhammedkuli Atabayev (1888–1916) - one of the first Enlighteners of Turkmenistan in the beginning of 20's century. He graduated from the Turkistan Teachers Seminarium in Tashkent
. Atabayev is famous for developing a so-called Audio Teaching method (together with Artykgul Tekinskaya) that helped to teach illiterate to read and write just in 2 years.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
.. The area is known for sacred places connected to the Persian
Persian mythology
Persian mythology are traditional tales and stories of ancient origin, some involving extraordinary or supernatural beings. Drawn from the legendary past of the Iranian cultural continent which especially consists of the state of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Central Asia, they reflect the...
legend of the Peri
Peri
In Persian mythology, which constitutes the mythology of not just Persians but all Iranian peoples, peris are descended from fallen angels who have been denied paradise until they have done penance. In earlier sources they are described as agents of evil; later, they are benevolent...
, most notably the Gyz-bibi cave. According to the Turkmenistan government website, the origin of the name of Nohur is disputed, with some locals believing it derived from Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
(many places in the region carry Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
names) and some from the Peri themselves, as "no" and "hur" translate "nine peri". The small and relatively untouched village of Nohur rests in an unmarked valley of the Kopet Dag
Kopet Dag
The Kopet Dag, Kopet Dagh, or Koppeh Dagh , also known as the Turkmen-Khorasan Mountain Range is a mountain range on the frontier between Turkmenistan and Iran, extending about 650 km along the border, east of the Caspian Sea. The highest peak of the range in Turkmenistan is southwest of the...
Mountains, which make up the border of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and southern Turkmenistan. The people of Nohur dress and act conservatively, and their traditions have been able to survive Turkmenistan’s modernization because of the remoteness of their village.
Nohurli consider themselves as descendents from Alexander the Great.
Territorial division
Nohur area is primarily consist of Upper Nohur (Garawul and Kone-Gummez villages) and Lower Nohur (Old Nohur village).Upper Nohur has Farmers’ Association “Yenish” which includes two villages. The project area totals 15,5 thousand hectares. The population of the two villages makes up 8,7 thousand inhabitants that stands for 12,3 % of rural population of Baharly etrap
Etrap
An Etrap is a second tier administrative division of Turkmenistan....
(district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
), Ahal
Ahal Province
Ahal Province is one of the welayat of Turkmenistan. It is in the south-center of the country, bordering Iran and Afghanistan along the Kopet Dag Range. Its area is and population 939,700...
velayat (province), Turkmenistan.
Environmental challenges
During 1990-2005 the pasturePasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
s experience overgrazing that exceeds the norm 3-4 times because cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
breeding has been transformed into local people’s main source of income. This has resulted in the degradation of mountain pastures and the extinction of valuable forage species and medicinal plants.
Forest vegetation is heavily degraded as a consequence of cutting wood for fuel and construction needs. Soil erosion, heavy mud flows and the formation of ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
s have led to the reduction of cultivable areas and as soil fertility.
Water scarcity is also a very important problem of this region, due to low precipitation. Traditionally villagers gather the run-off from mountain slope
Slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
s and gorges in specially built reservoirs called howdans. In favourable years the howdans store sufficient water to irrigate the fields during one season. But during 2000-2005 the howdans were left unfilled due to insufficient precipitations
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
.
Muhammedkuli Atabayev
(1888–1916)Muhammedkuli Atabayev (1888–1916) - one of the first Enlighteners of Turkmenistan in the beginning of 20's century. He graduated from the Turkistan Teachers Seminarium in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
. Atabayev is famous for developing a so-called Audio Teaching method (together with Artykgul Tekinskaya) that helped to teach illiterate to read and write just in 2 years.