Shopan-Ata Mosque, Mangystau

The Shopan-Ata Mosque, one of the oldest architectural monuments, has been under the protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1982. This sacred site houses the burial place of the great Sufi philosopher and mystic, Shopan-Ata, a disciple of the renowned Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. According to tradition, Shopan-Ata was also the spiritual mentor of Beket-Ata, a famous Kazakh religious figure and Sufi. It is customary for devout believers to first visit the Shopan-Ata Mosque before continuing their pilgrimage to the Beket-Ata necropolis.

This religious architectural monument is part of the Mangystau State Historical and Cultural Reserve, established by the government in 1980. The reserve, located in western Kazakhstan along the Caspian Sea coast, is home to many historical sites. Among them, the Shopan-Ata Mosque stands out as the largest in terms of both area and the number of monuments within the Mangystau Reserve.

Nearby the necropolis is a vast area containing numerous burials, with around 4,000 graves dating from the 10th to the 14th centuries, belonging to the Oghuz-Kipchak people who once inhabited the region. The mosque itself was constructed on an elevated plateau and carved into soft rock. Historians believe that the mosque was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.

In the vicinity of the necropolis, there are other significant sites, including the Boszhira Valley, the ancient Beket-Ata Mosque, the Masat-Ata Necropolis, and the Ustyurt National Reserve.

“Shopan-Ata” translates from Kazakh as “shepherd.” This was not his real name, but rather a title given to this great teacher, under which he was known and revered by followers of Sufism. Shopan-Ata is considered one of the 360 disciples of the Sufi preacher Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, who lived during the 12th century. Yasawi, a prominent Sufi poet and mystic, is regarded as a saint by Turkic peoples. It is from Yasawi that Shopan-Ata’s image as a spiritual mentor and Sufi leader developed, connecting Islamic ideas with elements of Tengriism.

Shopan-Ata’s mosque is visited annually by pilgrims, and the preacher’s name is known throughout Kazakhstan. Pilgrims begin their journey to the sacred underground mosque of Beket-Ata by first visiting the necropolis of Shopan-Ata. This order of pilgrimage has been observed for centuries. According to legend, Shopan-Ata appeared to Beket-Ata in a dream while he was spending the night at a dervish mosque.

Little is known about the life of Shopan-Ata, with most of what is passed down being legends and oral traditions. The most famous legend is about his mentor, Khoja Yasawi, and his disciples.

It is said that at the end of his disciples’ training, Khoja Yasawi instructed them to shoot arrows through a hole in the roof of a yurt. Where each arrow fell, the disciple was to live and spread the teachings of Sufism. Shopan-Ata’s arrow landed in the Mangyshlak region, near the yurt of a wealthy man named Bayan-Ata. Shopan-Ata worked as a shepherd for Bayan-Ata, agreeing to herd his sheep for a year without pay. The arrangement was that any white lambs born during that year would belong to Shopan-Ata. By the end of the year, only white sheep were born. The following year, a similar agreement was made, but this time for colored lambs. Again, only colored lambs were born, and Bayan-Ata had to give all the lambs to Shopan-Ata. Realizing that his shepherd was no ordinary man, Bayan-Ata married his only daughter to Shopan-Ata. Later, Shopan-Ata built a mosque on the elevated land where his arrow had landed.

Another legend tells that Shopan-Ata found his mentor Khoja Yasawi’s staff in this area. From the staff grew a mulberry tree, which still stands to this day and is considered sacred. The tree is believed to be around 800 years old.

According to local beliefs, Shopan-Ata had three children with Bayan-Ata’s daughter: two sons, Ehsan and Shah-Rokh, and a daughter, Tergin-Bibi. During his life, Shopan-Ata performed many miracles, and strange occurrences continued even after his death.

The first archaeological excavations near the necropolis took place between 1951 and 1952, followed by another historical-archaeological expedition in 1977–1978. In 1982, the Society for the Protection of Monuments conducted a study of the mosque, which was officially recognized as a historical and cultural site of regional significance. In 2015, the mosque was included in the list of monuments of national significance. From 1992 to 2016, the necropolis underwent extensive restoration work.

Over more than half a century of research, 1,640 historical monuments were recorded in the necropolis area. To the west and northwest of the mosque are Turkmen burial monuments, including stylized gravestones, “koitas” headstones, steles, and ancient enclosures. To the east are Kazakh burials, featuring “saganatams,” dome-shaped mausoleums, “kulpytas” gravestones, and stepped tombstones.

The Shopan-Ata Mosque consists of 12 interconnected rooms. Each room is dedicated to a specific purpose, such as household needs, religious rituals, or educational activities. The main room is rectangular, measuring 7 meters in length and 5 meters in width. Light enters through a circular opening 1.5 meters in diameter. In the center of the room stands a staff about 1.5 meters tall, marking a holy spot.

To the left of the main room is the burial chamber where Shopan-Ata rests, carved into the rock. Near the entrance to this chamber is another burial, traditionally believed to be the grave of the preacher’s daughter. Along the western and southern walls of the main room are two small chambers for the faithful.

At the base of the underground mosque is a well. A second mosque was built slightly later, and next to it grows the sacred mulberry tree.