Why this ride
The stops in between: Karaman-Ata, Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o and back through Karaman-Ata. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sultan-Epe and Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 445 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 38
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sultan-Epe
A mosque dug into the rock is a rare thing, and Sultan-Epe is one of the best. It lies on the Mangystau peninsula in western Kazakhstan, a stark region of chalk cliffs, canyons and salt flats stretching toward the Caspian Sea, and the mosque is cut into a hillside, with a low entrance leading down into a cool chamber. It is named after Sultan-Epe, a Sufi holy man revered in the region, and it forms part of a network of underground mosques and burial grounds that have been pilgrimage places for centuries.
Read the complete Sultan-Epe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sultan-Epe is where the day begins. Next is Karaman-Ata.
2. Karaman-Ata
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.
Read the complete Karaman-Ata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Karaman-Ata comes up 88 km in. Next is Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o.
3. Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o
The Mangystau peninsula in western Kazakhstan looks like the surface of another planet: chalk cliffs, red canyons, salt flats, and a plateau, the Ustyurt, that stretches away to a horizon without a tree. In this empty land, where the Caspian Sea lies far to the west and the nearest big town is Aktau on the coast, a number of holy sites are cut into the soft limestone, the so-called rock mosques. These are underground or cave-like sanctuaries, some hollowed out centuries ago, associated with Sufi teachers and with the ancestors of the local Kazakh clans.
Read the complete Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
176 km in you reach Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o. Next is back through Karaman-Ata.
4. back through Karaman-Ata
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Karaman-Ata write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Karaman-Ata, late in the day. Next is Sultan-Epe.
5. Sultan-Epe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sultan-Epe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Sultan-Epe. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Sultan-Epe to Karaman-Ata
Sultan-Epe → Karaman-Ata is 127 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Karaman-Ata to Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o
Karaman-Ata → Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o to back through Karaman-Ata
Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites o → back through Karaman-Ata is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Karaman-Ata to Sultan-Epe
back through Karaman-Ata → Sultan-Epe is 127 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.