Soft breezes weaving through stands of ancient pines, the scent of wild juniper hanging in the air—Tengriist sacred spots blend seamlessly with nature, rather than towering over it. No grand stone temples or gilded idols appear here. Instead, cairns of river stones called “ovoo” (in Mongolian) or “kurgans” (in Turkic areas) rise on wind-blasted ridges. Colorful silk ribbons flutter from branches or wooden poles, each knot a whispered prayer to Tengri, the eternal Blue Sky.

Key features: • Ovoo sites on mountain passes and high plateaus, especially across Mongolia’s Khentii and Altai ranges. Often located at crossroads, they mark thresholds between worlds.
• Sacred trees—ancient larches, oaks or elms—ringed by small wooden fences and festooned with ribbon offerings. Khakassia’s Sayan foothills host several living “temples” like this.
• River shrines along the Irtysh and Orkhon valleys: flat stones serve as altars where milk, vodka or milk-tea libations are poured.
• Sky-viewing platforms atop peaks such as Mt. Belukha in Russia’s Altai Republic. These naturally elevated “temples” feel like the roof of the world.

Recent years have seen a revival: in 2023, a gathering at Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley (now a UNESCO site) drew shamans and seekers to a riverside ovoo, renewing an age-old ritual of communal blessing. Across Kazakhstan, youth volunteers have started restoring shamanic cairns, brushing away moss and retouching faded prayer ribbons.

Far from carved stone halls, these shrines lie wherever earth and sky meet. Their humble materials—wood, stone, silk—remind wanderers that harmony with nature is the very heart of Tengriism.