00:00Five ancient mosques carved into soft sedimentary rock have become Kazakhstan's newest UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
00:06Sets in the otherworldly landscapes of Mangustav, they date from the 12th to the 18th centuries.
00:12Together with their surrounding necropolises, they preserve a spiritual heritage shaped by centuries of Sufi tradition and much older beliefs.
00:19Beneath this remote landscape lies one of Central Asia's most remarkable pilgrimage routes.
00:25For centuries, travelers have come here seeking guidance, healing and spiritual renewal.
00:30Welcome to Kazakhstan. This is Modern Nomads.
00:36Five underground mosques bear the names of revered Sufi masters.
00:41Biketata, Shopanata, Karamanata, Shahpagata and Sultan Ipe.
00:44Their spiritual lineage traces back to Khushah Ahmed Yesawi, whose teachings helped spread Islam across the Turkic world.
00:51Local tradition says divine signs guided the masters to where they built their mosques.
00:59Karamanata was a Sufi missionary who came to spread Islam in the region.
01:03His mosque dates back to the 12th or 13th century, while its associated necropolis is one of Mangustav's largest and
01:10oldest.
01:18The sanctuary was more than a place of worship. It was a center of learning and refuge for travelers.
01:23Remembered as a healer, the Sufi master still draws pilgrims seeking spiritual healing today.
01:28We came from the city of Ufa, which is the Republic of Bashkartistan.
01:32We've been here for a long time. We read the Quran, prays, prays, prays, wishes, people get healing, healing, and
01:39many dreams are missing.
01:40One of Mangustav's oldest Sufi sanctuaries is dedicated to the late 12th century mystic Shopanata, revered as the patron saint
01:47of sheep and shepherds.
01:48Once part of an ancient caravan route to Khwarezm, the site remains an important center of Sufi pilgrimage.
01:55We have a place where the temple is located, and we have a place where the temple is located, and
02:02we have a place where the temple is located.
02:07Like many of the region's underground sanctuaries, the mosque contains prayer rooms and chambers illuminated by natural light,
02:14some holding the graves of the Sufi master and his family.
02:21Legend says Shopanata became the spiritual mentor of Biketata, Mangustav's most revered Sufi saint and warrior hero.
02:28Local tradition attributes extraordinary abilities to the 18th century scholar, healer, and architect, including teleportation and levitation.
02:53Long before Biketata, Shakhpahata served for centuries as one of the region's principal Sufi centers.
02:59Carved into a chalk and limestone cliff, the sanctuary is arranged around a central domed hole in the shape of
03:05a cross.
03:06Local traditions say the scholar taught astrology and astronomy, as well as ideas linked to the cosmos.
03:13There are places where the temple is located in my book, and the village of our father-in-law, and
03:24the temple is called to be found in our home.
03:24The land that comes from your father-in-law is called to be found in his father-in-law.
03:29The land that comes from our father-in-law is called to be found in our communities.
03:35There are many meanings of the temple that comes from our father-in-law.
03:40regarded in local tradition as the protector of seafarers.
03:43Dating from between the 9th and 13th centuries,
03:46its underground mosque overlooks a rare green desert canyon.
03:49According to local tradition, in this tomb-like cell,
03:53Sufis practice spiritual rebirth.
03:55Letting go of worldly desires, drawing closer to the divine.
03:58I'll try meditating here myself before the claustrophobia sets in.
04:03For centuries, these remote sanctuaries have drawn pilgrims across Mangistal.
04:07Now Kazakhstan and UNESCO are working to protect and restore them for generations to come.
04:39The five rock-hewn mosques of Mangistal being added to the UNESCO World Heritage List
04:44are putting the spiritual heritage of Central Asia on the global pilgrimage map,
04:49inviting the world to discover its sacred landscapes.
04:52See you in the next episode of Modern Nomads.
