Inside Kazakhstan’s historic rock-hewn mosques now recognised by UNESCO

In July 2024, the World Heritage Committee at its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, decided to inscribe five rock-hewn mosques and associated sites in Kazakhstan's Mangystau region onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. These mosques, named after revered Sufi masters, have been celebrated for centuries as sacred spiritual sites.

The spiritual lineage of these masters can be traced back to the 12th-century Sufi master Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and his teachings, which helped spread Islam among the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia.

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre describes the complexes as reflecting the evolution of a distinctive spiritual culture, representing "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."

Developed over many centuries, these monuments showcase how spiritual traditions were adapted to the region's unique natural environment and geological features, such as chalk and limestone cliffs.

Local resident Almagul Zhaiman emphasized the significance of these sites, stating that they embody a faith passed down through generations and the knowledge of heritage, which makes them meaningful to the Kazakhs and Turkmens. The sacred mosques have also been important destinations for pilgrims for centuries, with visitors expected to dress modestly, with women covering their heads as a sign of respect.

The sanctuaries showcase a blend of architectural layouts, including prayer halls, mihrabs, rooms for contemplation, multifunctional spaces, and tombs of the Sufi masters, some of which date back to the 10th to the 20th centuries.