Topic

Rock Cut Architecture

Topic

Rock Cut Architecture

Inside the Underground Mosques of Kazakhstan’s Surreal Mangystau Desert

Kazakhstan's Desert Rock Mosques Join UNESCO World Heritage List

Kazakhstan's five sacred rock mosques of the Mangystau desert joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in July. The 12th-to-18th-century Sufi sites include Beket-Ata and Shopan-Ata.

November 5, 2026