Turkestan Sufi Saint Shrine

My photos of a Sufi saint shrine in Turkestan.

(Unfortunately I did not write down the name of the saint!)

The shrine is visited by pilgrims to receive baraka (blessings) from the saint, and to make sacrificial offerings (hudaiyoli). An animal is brought (or purchased there), sacrificed and slaughtered, then cooked, eaten by the family in a festive setting, and often shared with strangers or the poor.

This practice broadly parallels pagan Turkish shamanistic (and Israelite) pilgrimage and high place sacrifices.