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 impo
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Region
- Asia
- Category
- Cultural
- Inscribed
- 2026
- UNESCO reference
- 1760
- Area
- 91.88 ha
View the official UNESCO listing
Counts are based on Zikzak's current UNESCO World Heritage dataset, sourced from UNESCO. Last updated 7 August 2026. UNESCO insights