Walk to Kyrk Gyz cave

Today, we’ll travel to the far southeastern corner of Turkmenistan, to the Koytendag mountains, to visit one of the most famous and revered places among the Turkmen people—»Kyrk Gyz,» which translates from Turkmen as «Forty Girls.» According to legend, young Turkmen girls hid in one of the grottoes of this canyon for a long time, fleeing from foreign invaders who had entered their homeland.

«Kyrk Gyz» could be included in the «golden ring» of the mountain village of Khojapil, along with the beautiful Umbar-Depe canyon and the unique plateau with dinosaur footprints. With some effort, it is possible to visit all these attractions in a single day.

The «Forty Girls» canyon itself does not differ much from the neighboring canyons that cut through the Koytendag range. However, the vertical walls of the rocks feature many deep niches formed by karst processes.

A small stream flows along the canyon floor, turning into a rather serious torrent in the spring.

Another Turkmen tradition is building small stone pyramids.

After about a kilometer of walking through the canyon, you will find a large niche at the very foot of the left side. All the trails lead to it.

This is the very grotto where the forty beautiful Turkmen girls hid from the invaders. According to legend, the enemy heard rumors about this precious prize hidden in the mountains and began a long search for the girls. When the invaders entered the canyon, the girls prayed and called upon the Koytendag mountains to protect them. The mountains responded, closing in and forever hiding the forty girls.

At the «Kyrk Gyz» grotto, one can also encounter another Turkmen custom—»wish ribbons.» The idea is to take a piece of cloth, dip one end in the local clay, and throw it up to the ceiling of the grotto. If the ribbon sticks, the wish will surely come true.

The grotto’s ceiling is covered with thousands of such ribbons. In the corner below are fallen ribbons, the wishes that wll never come true.

There are a few natural pools in the grotto where mountain water collects. Judging by the mugs nearby, people drink this water.

In one corner of the grotto, you can find a real cave that extends about 10 meters deep.

Of course, the Turkmen love to relax here as well. Right under the ceiling, there are several seating platforms and a field kitchen with large cauldrons.

A table is set with a dastarkhan and kurpachas (traditional cushions).