Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites of Mangystau

The serial property, located on the Mangystau Peninsula bordering the Caspian Sea, consists of five sacred sites carved into the rock along with adjacent extensive burial grounds. Beket-Ata, Shopan-Ata, Karaman-Ata, Shakpak-Ata and Sultan-Epe, each associated with a Sufi master, date from the 12th to the 18th centuries. The complexes, known locally as “underground mosques”, are a particular type of structure created in natural caves, carved into steep rocks or dug into the ground in the semi-desert landscape. Originating in the nomadic environment of the Mangystau and Ustyurt plateaus, the component parts represent a culture that is the result of the evolution of sacred practices in which Islamic Sufi spirituality organically continued and transformed more ancient practices related to ancestor worship, the sacredness of the landscape and the role of spiritual leaders. They have been important pilgrimage destinations throughout the centuries. The rock-carved sacred sites range from smaller structures to more complex spaces. They have different architectural layouts and organisation, including prayer halls, mihrabs, rooms for contemplation and self-reflection, multifunctional spaces and tombs of saints. The complexes comprise courtyards, water sources, sacred trees, paths and cemeteries, the latter dating from the 10th to the 20th centuries.