The Mausoleum of Zengi Baba, a 10th–12th century spiritual monument. In Turkmen mythology, Zengi Baba is venerated as the saint and protector of cattle, a figure deeply tied to fertility, prosperity, and the sustaining rhythm of life.
It is located in the ancient settlement of Murche deep in the Ahal region of Turkmenistan. Old Murche is a forgotten whisper of antiquity, founded as far back as the Parthian period (3rd century BCE – 3rd century CE).
But it is the southern outskirts of Murche that hold its true mystical core — the sanctuary of fire, known as Garry Khodja Otly Alov (“Ancient Sacred Fire Light”). Here, two concentric stone circles mark a pre-Islamic fire temple, echoing the rituals of Zoroastrianism, where fire symbolized purity and divine presence.
Nearby, sacred gates once served as passageways for the deceased and the ill — spaces where the living sought forgiveness and the sick sought healing.
In traditional Turkmen lore, especially in regions like Khorezm, cows were symbols of abundance. Locals believed that “Sygyr – Bulak” (“The Cow is a Spring”) — cows brought prosperity. Ceremonies involving bulls were held before channeling water from the Amu Darya, and milk was considered so sacred it couldn’t be sold — only given freely. Even today, milk and its products are treated with ritual care and protection from the “unclean forces of night.”
Legends tell of contests between Zengi Baba and saints who protected camels and horses. The cow, always underestimated, wins: she returns home without a shepherd, crosses muddy terrain better than a horse, and brings quiet blessings wherever she walks.
Murche is more than a site — it is a portal. A place where fire once healed, where earth cradled myth, and where women, life-bringers and nurturers, find ancient resonance in sacred soil.
Join us on a journey to Old Murche — to walk between myth and memory.
