Mosque
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Shakpak-Ata Underground Mosque & Necropolis
Shakpak-Ata is a ancient, sacred underground mosque and vast necropolis carved directly into chalk cliffs in the desert landscape of the Mangystau Peninsula in western Kazakhstan. Dating back to between the 9th and 14th centuries, the cruciform mosque was hand-hewn out of solid white limestone by Sufi ascetics led by the legendary healer and holy saint Shakpak-Ata. The walls of the underground chambers are covered in ancient Sufi petroglyphs, Arabic inscriptions, human handprints, and horse depictions. Revered as a powerful spiritual sanctuary where sick pilgrims seek healing, Shakpak-Ata is steeped in mystifying legends, stories of miraculous cures, optical phenomena, and guardian spirit visions.