Mangystau is the bleak, brilliant desert peninsula on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, in the far west of Kazakhstan. It looks like the surface of another planet, with chalk cliffs, canyons, salt flats, strange rock formations and fossil seabeds from the days when this was an ocean. For centuries it has also been a land of Sufi pilgrimage, and its network of underground mosques, cut into the soft limestone, is the reason for the UNESCO listing that includes this site. Karaman-Ata is one of the sacred sites that mark the memory of a holy man, in a quiet spot among low cliffs, reached by a path and accompanied by a small cemetery and shrine.
The underground mosques of the region, such as Beket-Ata and Shopan-Ata, were built by nomadic people who needed shelter from the heat and wind. A visit means going down into a cave-like chamber with a mihrab, a prayer niche, carved into the rock, and sitting for a moment in the cool dark. Visitors should dress modestly and leave their shoes at the door, and keep voices low.
The roads here are long and empty, with a mix of decent asphalt on the main routes and rough tracks across the desert to the sites. Heat in summer reaches forty-five degrees, with almost no shade, so spring and autumn are better, and in winter the wind can be bitter. Gravel roads can be sandy in places. Camels wander the roads, and one on a dark night is a serious hazard, so aim to stop riding by dusk. Navigation by phone works poorly in places, and a paper map or downloaded tracks help.
Shetpe, about thirty-five kilometres away, is a sizeable village with fuel and basic food, but in this region you should never assume that a station will be open or that it will have the right grade, so fill up in Aktau or Zhanaozen and carry a reserve. Take water, at least several litres, and a spare tyre. Locals are hospitable, and tea with bread, dried fruit and sometimes camel milk is the usual welcome. The sites are best visited with a guide, who knows the tracks and the etiquette.