Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

When we drive away from Aktau, it is just getting lighter outside. For a short while, we see a deep orange light in the east, but before the sun even gets a chance to pierce through the clouds, it is obscured again. We drive through what looks like a monotonous landscape on a monotonous road for a while, almost directly north. Our drive gets more interesting when our driver turns off the main road. We continue north, the landscape has some cracks in it, and at one point, we get out for a view. Below us, we see a small canyon, with grey and white tones, snaking its way through the Kazakh landscape. To our surprise, we see a yellow rectangle in the middle of nowhere: a sign left by National Geographic. From here, it is a small drive to our first destination in the Mangystau region: the underground mosque of Shakpak-Ata.
When we see tombs from a distance, we know that we are getting close. They are part of an extensive necropolis that was established at the feet of the underground mosque. Contrary to my imagination, I soon realize that the mosque is not really underground. While we walk up the stairs to the entrance, I can clearly see the porous chalk face of the cliffs, the hundreds of holes in it, like a huge stone beehive, and the gallery-like rectangular niches which turn out to hold tombs. We see that in the wall next to a window, hands are imprinted, horses and Arabic texts are carved. The mosque is actually inside the cliff, where various rooms have been hewn out. It turns out that this was already a temple used by Zoroastrians many centuries ago. On the corners of the main room, we see the four elements water, fire, earth and air are symbolically represented. We also see openings in the wall, with traces of fire. There are also more carvings with several animals, and more Arabic texts.
We walk deeper into the mosque, and see a circular opening in the ceiling through which daylight falls. Just to think that religious ceremonies have been carried out in this space for more than a millennium. After it was first hewn out of the rocks for Zoroastrian practices, Muslims added a mihrab. One of the other interesting facts about this temple is that it has the shape of a cross. We walk the stairs at the backside of the mosque, and arrive on top of the cliffs. A new (and frankly, ugly and out of place) building was constructed on top of the underground mosque of Shakpak-Ata. We see an old gameboard carved in the rocks, and when we walk to the edge of the cliff, we see the valley and the necropolis below. I wonder where worshippers come from to pray here. At the same time, I realize this is also a place for pilgrims. Its sheer isolation makes it the perfect destination for a pilgrim. But for now, there is no one in sight. It is time to leave, and continue our exploration of the Mangystau region.

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Shakpak-Ata underground mosque > Kazakhstan > Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

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