Cemetery and tourist area of the Prophet Khaled
The complex of the ancient cemetery of the Prophet Khaled and the homonymous sanctuary are located near the village of Gachisoo, in a mountainous area and on top of Mount Goghje Dagh (Golestan region). This complex dates back over a thousand years ago.
The Prophet Khaled (Khaleb Ben Sanan), is one of the four Prophets who lived between the period of the Prophet Jesus (A) and that of the Prophet Mohammad (A).
This sanctuary looks like a quadrangular covered building, with some windows and a simple metal entrance door with a crescent vault, while the ceiling of the mausoleum from the outside is a green dome.
Inside you can only see a simple sepulcher without ancient inscriptions, about 1,5 meters high. In the vicinity of the sanctuary and in the external area there is a wooden pylon also known as a treatment or entertainment stick.
Next to this sanctuary there is also a spring called Khedr Dandan and according to Turkmen pilgrims its water would have miraculous properties. In the surroundings, some accommodations have been built for the stay and rest of travelers, a mosque and some water tanks.
A little further away are the Chupan Ata and Alem Baba mausoleums which have the appearance of simple and covered buildings, with a quadrangular plan, an iron dome and a hexagonal tip. The external and internal façade is modest, devoid of decorations and inscriptions.
Inside there is a humble sepulcher without a plaque. In front of the entrance door of the Alem Baba mausoleum there is also a small particular tree which pilgrims rely on to make their wishes come true.
A little further away from the shrine of Prophet Khaled, on another hill in this area, there are numerous stone sculptures similar to gravestones emerging from the earth, up to 2 meters high, side by side and scattered way; large sculptures depicting people with caps on their heads and a sash on their hips and small statues with female features.
It seems that these stones were about 600 at the beginning and there are various and different stories about them. In this cemetery you can see carved and polished gravestones in the shape of a ram's head. The ram and its horns among the Turkmen and in vast areas of Asia Minor is known as a symbol of power.