Visually, Nohur is unlike any other site found in Turkmenistan. Rich in history, nature and tribal custom, Nohur is set 1,100 m above the Karakum Desert in the cool mountain valleys of southwestern Turkmenistan.
The Nohur people have maintained a highly homogeneous society based upon ancestral rights, and tribal custom. Varied images in the stunning silk embroideries sewn by local Nohur women, indicating their particular tribe, make Nohur silk renowned throughout the country. The Nohur felts are also thought to be exclusive to this region. They differ from customary Turkmen felts with their original designs and Zoroastrian ornaments symbolising the worship of fire, and the cult of fertility. Constructing their homes from the stones found around the area, the Nohur people have decorated these simple homes with handcrafted wooden columns and capitals unique only to this clan of people. Accented by two small flowing streams, the flora and fauna of this region is exceptional. There are mountain goats (umga and marhur), Urial mountain sheep, wolves, foxes, jackals, porcupines, and even snow leopards in these mountain-ridges. See this ancient way of life uniquely preserved and rarely seen.
– Nohur is reached by a road heading south into the mountains from the village of Archman. A 4x4 is required, though the route can become all but impassable after heavy rains. Since 2004, visits to the Nohur area have required a special border zone permit, to be applied for when you request your letter of invitation for Turkmenistan. The border checkpoint lies 12 km south of Archman. Nohur itself is another 10 km further on, and up, at an altitude of around 1000 m.