Shopan Ata

Kazakhstan, Ustyurt, Western Kazakhstan

Twenty kilometres north of Senek village is Shopan Ata, a circa 10th-century underground mosque that is one of Mangystau’s oldest religious sites.

It was first surveyed in the early 1950s by a research team led by Malbagar Mendikulov, a prominent Kazakh architect who incorporated traditional designs into his architectural work to preserve national character and counteract Modernism’s rise in popularity. Undoubtedly, Mendikulov encountered an abundance of inspiration from Shopan Ata’s multiple rock-hewn rooms, sunlit chambers, and 3,000+ graves scattered above the ground.

The Legend of Shopan Ata

There’s a legend that Shopan Ata – who was a 12th-century saint of shepherds – was at a dervish led by Sufi and Turkic poet Ahmad Yasawi. After the ritual was over, Yasawi asked Shopan Ata and his fellow disciples to shoot an arrow through a shanyrak (the wooden hole of a ger). Their mission was to travel to wherever their arrow struck, preach Sufism, and build a new masjid. Lo and behold, Shopan Ata’s landed on the site of today’s mosque.

At the time, the land was owned by Bayan, a rich landlord (bai), so Shopan Ata offered to work for him for free as a shepherd. In return, Bayan said he’d pay him for every white sheep born. He ended up weaselling out of paying him, despite now having an entire flock of newborn white sheep. Growing increasingly greedy, Bayan said he would pay him the following year if a black flock was born, assuming it would be an impossible feat. Much to Bayan’s surprise, a black flock was born. Realising Shopan Ata was a man to revere, he offered him all of his belongings.

Exploring the Mausoleum

When arriving at Shopan Ata, the first place you come to is a stone-built, roofless mausoleum sat atop a plateau belonging to Shopan Ata’s son-in-law. It’s here that pilgrims recite a prayer and tie a prayer cloth on to the mosque before venturing downhill to the main site, which has a guesthouse and is beside a large necropolis.

The underground mosque of Shopan Ata is cut into a series of rock faces. Inside, you’ll find oculus roofs, a prayer room with side niches, and various chambers containing the graves of Shopan Ata, Darhan Bibi—his daughter, and Bibi Han—his wife. In the middle of Shopan Ata’s and his wife’s chamber, there’s a set of wooden poles leaning against an oculus. Here, pilgrims recite a prayer before walking counterclockwise three times around the poles. A similar ritual is conducted above ground at the grave of Shopan Ata’s father-in-law, Bayan Baba. Nearby, there used to be a sacred phallus carved out of stone used for fertility rituals—worshippers would pour butter, melted lamb fat, or vegetable oil on its top and set it alight For whatever reason, it has since disappeared according to this follow-up video.

Getting to Shopan Ata

To reach Shopan Ata from Aktau, head 140km south-east on the A-33 and R-114 to Mangystau’s second-largest town, Zhanaozen. From there, follow the P-117 road to the twin towns of Bostan and Kyzylsai (aka Uzen). Follow the road east of here for 15km, turn left and continue on for another 30km to reach Shopan Ata.

Coordinates:

Shopan Ata (Şopan Ata/Шопан Ата): 43.5471, 53.3928

Resources:

Olga Kazakova’s paper discussing Kazakhstan architecture and construction practices during the 1950–60s and the vision of Kazakh architect Malbagar Mendikulov.
A 9-page 2021 paper published in the GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites discussing the tourism potential of Mangystau’s religious sites.