Legends say that they drink from the water, where fish are revered, to find healing.

In the town of Mollaköy in Erzincan, people drink the spring water of a lake resembling the Balıklı Gölü in Şanlıurfa for healing purposes.

The locals in Mollaköy believe that the water from the spring in the town, which they consider to have healing properties, distributes healing. The pool where the healing water flows, especially visited by women from many cities of the country who have low milk supply after giving birth to increase their milk production, is not touched by people as the fish living in the pool are considered sacred.

The residents of the town, emphasizing that it is a legend left by a knowledgeable mullah, stated that the water provides healing.

A plaque erected regarding the water considered to have healing properties includes the following inscription:

“Molla Köyü, takes its name from a charming and knowledgeable mullah who has become the subject of legends. In Molla Köyü, there is still a mosque and beside the mosque, there is a clear and icy water where fish live, and the following legend is told about this water.

In the past, there used to be a church in the place of the current mosque. The mullah, who believed that a mosque should be present in an Islamic town instead of a church, wanted to demolish this church and build a mosque in its place. Upon hearing this, the members of the church complained to the region’s governor. The governor of the region sent a man to bring the mullah in. When the man went, he found the mullah plowing a field with a pair of deer. The staff in the mullah’s hand was actually a snake. The man, astonished, conveyed the governor’s order from a distance without approaching the mullah. After the mullah finished his work, he set off to go to the city, to the governor. The man who arrived in the city before the mullah described what he saw to the governor in detail. Then, the charming mullah appeared before the governor. As soon as the mullah entered the presence of the governor, a violent earthquake occurred. The governor, thinking that the earthquake might be due to the mullah, and considering what his man had told him, guessed and gave the mullah the necessary permission to build the mosque. The mullah started building the mosque. When the mosque was completed, a clear, icy water began to flow beside it. There were two fish in the water. When the summer season ended, the mullah would sacrifice one of the deer for Allah and let the other one go into the mountains. The deer spending the winter in the mountains would return in pairs every solstice (June 22). This continued for years. The mullah grew old and advised the villagers to continue the same practice. However, the villagers had forgotten the mullah’s advice. On another solstice, they slaughtered both deer that came to drink water. From that moment, the clear and icy water dried up. With the drying of the water, the hollow became infested with chickens. These chickens were visited every evening by a veiled bride who would take them away. One evening, when the veiled bride came to take the chickens, water suddenly began to gush out. The veiled bride drowned and disappeared in this water. After this incident, sacrifices were made for the veiled bride and the deer who died every solstice for the sake of Allah. The water, from which everyone drank heartily, is still there. There are also around a hundred fish considered sacred in the water. It is known as the Milk Fountain. The mullah is one of the saints with miraculous powers. Muslims believe in this and hope for help from his extraordinary power and miracles. The mosque, water, and fish in the water are sacred. No one touches the fish. The water where the fish are is an eye water. People drink from here for healing purposes.