Yada Stone

Yada Stone is a stone known in Turkish cultural history to have been used, in a manner akin to magic, to control weather phenomena such as snow and rain. The Yada stone is mentioned under various names in Turkic dialects and Islamic sources: in Yakut as sata, in Kyrgyz as cay taş, in Kazakh as jadı taş and jay taş, in Bashkir as balataş and yeytaş, in Uyghur as kaştaş, in Altai as cada taş, and in Tuvan as çat taş.

In Arabic Islamic sources it is referred to as hacerü'l-metar (rain stone), el-câlibü’l-matar; in Persian sources as seng-i metar (rain stone), seng-i ceda (Ceda stone), seng-i yede; and in Mongolian sources as dzada (rain-bearing) or ced. Other descriptions include magical stone, bezoar, and rain bead. Those who perform the ritual are called yatçı, yedeci, yadacı, yedaa, cedeci, or yağmurcu.^【1】

It is known that this practice has been carried out among the Turks since very ancient times. The earliest information about the Yada stone is found in Chinese sources. Islamic sources contain references to the Yada stone from the 10th and 11th centuries onward. In old Turkic traditions, the Yada stone is regarded as a magical element that grants dominion over the world. While some sources identify the Yada stone as identical to jade, other researchers hold that the Yada stone and jade/kaş taş are distinct entities.^{【2】【3】}

Yadacılık (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)

Physical Characteristics and Structure of the Stone

The Yada stone comes in various colors: yellow, red, blue, green, brown, earth-toned, white, pure white, dark red, white with red speckles, dusty, black, and reddish or olive green. It is a hard stone composed of silicate, alumina, calcium, and magnesium.

It is also described as a semi-transparent silicate stone. It may be as large as a large bird’s egg, the thickness of a walnut, the length of a hen’s egg, round, very small, or shaped like a human head. According to Yakut belief (sata stone), it is a living entity resembling a human head, with an open face, eyes, ears, and mouth. If touched by a woman or an outsider’s hand or gaze, it dies and loses its power.

Primary Function and Practices

The primary function of the Yada stone is to alter weather conditions, and this practice is called "yadacılık" or "yat". Numerous examples exist of snow and rain being induced through magical means using the stone. Kaşgarlı Mahmud recorded having witnessed with his own eyes how snow was induced during a summer fire in the land of Yağma, thereby extinguishing the flames.

It was commonly believed that those who practiced yadacılık as a profession lived in poverty. It was widely held that each time they performed the ritual, they suffered a calamity such as the death of a family member or damage to their property or livestock.

• Placing in Water: Placing the stone in water, especially flowing water or water contained in a vessel suspended at a high place.
• Chanting: Performing incantations (yatlamak) or recitations using the Yada stone.
• Rubbing: Rubbing stones together to induce rain.
• Applying Blood: Smearing sacrificial blood onto the stone to bring rain.
• Controlling Wind: Holding the stone in the hand and pointing it in the desired direction to summon wind.
• Stopping Rain: To stop rain, wrapping the stone in cloth and tying it to a horse’s tail, or burying the yadacı alive wrapped in a black goat’s hide.

Legends Regarding the Origin of the Stone

Various legends about the origin of the Yada stone appear in sources from different nations and cultures. According to some Arabic and Persian sources, the origin of the Yada stone traces back to the Prophet Noah (Hz. Nuh). After the Flood, Noah sent his son Japheth to the northwestern regions encompassing Turkic, Slavic, and Chinese lands. Japheth requested from his father a gift that could bring rain when needed. Noah prayed to God, and the angel Gabriel brought a blessed name, which Noah inscribed on a stone and gave to Japheth. Japheth wore the stone around his neck like an amulet.^【4】 According to these sources, when the name on the stone is invoked, snow and rain fall; when invoked again, they cease. It was believed that this stone remained among the Turks descended from Japheth, and this is cited as the reason why the Turks practiced rain-making with stones.^【5】

Another widespread belief regarding the origin of the Yada stone is that it has an animal origin. According to some legends, the Yada stone is found in the nest of a large, red-winged wild duck called Sürhab, native to China and Iran. This bird builds its nest in shallow lakes, and when the waters recede in summer, the stone is extracted from the nest. Among the Kyrgyz, the stone is said to be found in the stomach of sheep. In a Kyrgyz-Kazakh epic, it is stated that the stone resides in the liver of a horse. The Yakuts claim it must be sought in places struck by lightning and also assert that it is found in the intestines of oxen, bears, wolves, dogs, ducks, geese, and eagles. It is also rumored to emerge from the belly of a pig-like animal.

Legends About Yada

Kaşgarlı Mahmud’s work, Dîvânu Lügâti’t-Türk, dating from the Karakhanid period, is one of the sources demonstrating how widespread the Yada tradition was. Kaşgarlı Mahmud referred to the Yada stone as yat. He defines it as follows:

“Yat is a form of shamanism. It is performed with certain stones (the Yada stone), by which rain and snow are induced and wind is summoned. This is a well-known practice among the Turks. I witnessed it myself in the land of Yağma. There was a fire there during summer, and by this means snow was made to fall, and by God’s permission the fire was extinguished.”

Yatlamak: To induce rain.

Yatçıy atladı: The shaman performed incantations with the Yada stone.

Yatlatmak: To have a soothsayer perform rites with the Yada stone.

Beg yatlattı: The lord summoned rain, wind, and cold by having the Yada stone recited.^【6】

Yadacılık (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)

The Yada Tradition in the Baburnama

Babur Shah, in his own work, the Baburnama, recorded direct observations and impressions regarding the profession of the yadacı (one who controls weather phenomena by magic) and the act of yada yapma (performing the ritual). Babur mentions Ali Dost Tagayi, a relative of his mother and a chief of the Sagarıcı tümen, who during his service under Sultan Abu Said Mirza (Babur’s grandfather) was accused of practicing yadacılık. Although Babur describes this man with negative moral labels such as jealous, scheming, and dishonorable, he nonetheless notes the claim of yadacılık. Babur also states that Haceki Molla Sadr, the elder brother of Hoca Kelan, was a noble man, devoted to scholarship, of fine character, and understood both falconry and yadacılık. This statement indicates that yadacılık was regarded in that era as a skill or a respected pursuit.

According to Babur’s records, the yadacılık tradition was used for practical purposes in warfare and daily life. Babur recounts that during the events of 935 AH (1528–1529), the Uzbeks planned to perform yada to defeat the army of the Persian prince Tahmasp. The Uzbek nobles ordered their yadacı to perform the ritual when the sun entered the zodiac sign of Scorpio, aiming to harass and defeat the Qizilbash forces. This is an example of how the Yada stone was viewed as a weapon capable of altering the course of battle.^【7】

During a period when Babur complained of the dust and heat of India, upon arriving in Shirveli in the spring of 1529, he relates that the commander Tohta Buğa Sultan performed yada. As a result, a strong wind arose and rain fell, improving the weather. Babur personally witnessed and confirmed this event, recording that the practice of yadacılık produced tangible results.

The records in Babur’s work demonstrate that the tradition of yadacılık (inducing snow, rain, and wind through magic using the Yada stone) was not merely an ancient Turkic myth but remained, in the 16th century, a living, widespread, and effective practice across Turkic-Mongol territories during Babur’s reign. Even after the Turks converted to Islam, they continued the custom of performing yada. However, in Anatolia, the practice became either Islamized or faded into the background. Nevertheless, this tradition persisted among Turkic communities such as the Kalmyks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Uzbeks until the last century.

Use of the Yada Stone in Warfare

In ancient Turkic and Mongol cultures, the Yada stone and the tradition of yadacılık were widely employed based on the belief that it granted control over weather phenomena. This tradition was especially regarded as a weapon against enemies in warfare. According to epics, the Yada stone was among the weapons carried by heroes. These heroes could alter the weather at will, inducing rain, snow, and hail. The Turks carried the Yada stone into battle and used it to secure victories over their enemies. Individuals who performed these rites were retained in the army for the purpose of ensuring triumph in warfare.

Huns: They defeated their enemies by inducing rain, hail, and snow, or by summoning storms and winds. In the 5th century, during the rule of the Northern Huns, the shamans of the Yüeban people summoned violent rain and storms to resist attacks by the Cücen; as a result, one-third of the Cücen forces drowned in floods or perished from the cold.^【8】

Naimans: The Naimans, a Turkic tribe that underwent Mongolization, employed yadacı in their battle against Genghis Khan in 1202.^【9】

Khwarezmians: Jalal al-Din Khwarezmshah (d. 1231) possessed a Yada stone and carried it with him on campaigns, using it when necessary. Muhammad Khwarezmshah, before the Mongol invasion, was forced to bury alive the yadacı wrapped in a black goat’s hide during a campaign against a Chinese region, when the weather turned uncontrollably bad; this caused the snow, rain, and severe cold to cease.^【10】

Yada Stone in the Ottoman-Russian War

The last documented instance of the Yada stone being used as a weapon in warfare occurred during the Ottoman-Russian War of 1768–1774, in the latter half of the 18th century. It is claimed that the first major defeat suffered by the Ottoman army was due to this cause. The non-Muslim Kalmyk Turks, who formed approximately one-quarter of the Russian army, used this weapon against the Muslim Ottoman Turks. As a result of the ritual, the Ottoman army suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat from all territories north of the Black Sea, withdrawing as far as the opposite bank of the Danube River.^【11】

Hotin Battles: During the Hotin Battles of 1768–1774, Ottoman defenders returning from clashes with Russian cavalry were caught in a violent rainstorm. The rain caused the river to swell, and many soldiers drowned during attempted crossings. The Lipkans and Hotin Yamaks stationed in the fortress claimed that the rain was caused by magic and sorcery, attributing it to the Kalmyk Tatars.^【12】

In 1769, as Serdar-ı Ekrem Ali Pasha attempted to cross the Turla River and attack Russian forces, a heavy rainstorm began. This caused the river to flood and the bridge to collapse, forcing Ottoman soldiers into panic and resulting in heavy casualties. After the rain, snow began to fall, and it was recorded that Russian forces were unaffected by the conditions and launched an offensive.^【13】

Battle of Kertal: The heavy losses suffered in the 1770 Battle of Kertal were similarly attributed to a violent rainstorm that caused the Danube River to overflow and destroy a bridge. Serdar-ı Ekrem Halil Pasha noted that the river’s fury matched that of an event 59 years earlier during the time of Baltacı Mehmed Pasha. The source interprets this as possibly indicating that Baltacı had also been subjected to a similar Yada disaster.^【14】