Wandering in the desert in Turkmenistan (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
When I see your face,
the stones start spinning!
You appear; all studying wanders.
I lose my place.
Water turns pearly.
Fire dies down and doesn’t destroy.
— Rumi
While visiting Sufi shrines in the desert of Turkmenistan, I came across some “praying stones” at this centuries-old mosque that was submerged under the sand. You can see some stones “praying” in the distance behind my shoulder–relics of a ritual from the region’s shamanist past. As is the tradition, I set up my own pair of praying stones to show how it’s done by the thousands of pilgrims who visit these medieval mosques and shrines each year–filled with dreams they hope will one day come true…
