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Home » Religious tours ansd travels on Mangyshlak. Pilgrimage in Mangystau.

Tour to Shopan ata and Beket ata mosques.

Author's tour to Mangyshlak. 

“For everything in this journey of life we are on, there is a right wing and a left wing: for the wing of love there is anger; for the wing of destiny there is fear; for the wing of pain there is healing; for the wing of hurt there is forgiveness; for the wing of pride there is humility; for the wing of giving there is taking; for the wing of tears there is joy; for the wing of rejection there is acceptance; for the wing of judgment there is grace; for the wing of honor there is shame; for the wing of letting go there is the wing of keeping. We can only fly with two wings and two wings can only stay in the air if there is a balance. Two beautiful wings is perfection. There is a generation of people who idealize perfection as the existence of only one of these wings every time. But I see that a bird with one wing is imperfect. An angel with one wing is imperfect. A butterfly with one wing is dead. So this generation of people strive to always cut off the other wing in the hopes of embodying their ideal of perfection, and in doing so, have created a crippled race” 

C. JoyBell C.

Short description of route of pilgrim trip valley Oglandy:

Aktau – Zhanaozen - mausoleum Kuy-Tam - necropolis and underground mosque Shopan-ata (XIII c.c.) - valley Oglandy - underground mosque Beket-ata.

Distance of the route: 277 km
Season: from April 1, 30st till September.
Best time for travel: April, May, June, September.
Duration of tour: 1 day.

Detailed program of pilgrim trip to mosque Shopan ata and Beket ata:

Excursion tours on Mnagyshlak from Atyrau.

Aktau - Town of Zhanaozen - necropolis Shopan ata (X - XIII c.c.) - valley Oglandy - underground mosque Beket ata (277 km). 
Transfer: Aktau - depression Karagie - town Zhanaozen - settlement Kyzylsai - tomb of the saint Kostam (204 km). Departure at 7.00 from Aktau. Our way lays on southeast through the deepest depression of Kazakhstan - Karagie, which on 132 meters below a sea level.
Further ours way to small town of oilmen Zhanaozen. After Zhanaozen, our way lays to settlement Kyzylsai after settlement asphalt comes to an end, we turn on the left on graded road. On this road we shall go up to natural boundary Oglandy. 
Very first from this the tomb of the saint Kostam, which opens a way for pilgrims to the most significant mosques of Mangyshlak. Soon to the left of road the platform for motor vehicles, here is the mausoleum I Forge-there, visiting of the mausoleum, photographing of vicinities, it is possible to listen to a pray local Shirakshi. Further our way proceeds to a underground mosque and necropolis Shopan ata - a traditional place of pilgrims which go to mosque Beket ata.
Transfer: tomb of the saint Kostam - necropolis Shopan ata in valley Kyzylsu (2 km). Arrival on necropolis Shopan ata. Walk to underground mosque Shopan ata, ours a way proceeds past tombs of the saint and necropolis Shopan ata. Photographing of a necropolis and a underground mosque, ritual visit the top part of a underground mosque.
Transfer: mosque Shopan ata - valley Kamysty - mound Golbonshe - valley Oglandy (69 km). Gradually after a necropolis the road Shopan ata rises on height Golbonshe with which beautiful panoramas on the north and on the south open.
On a way visiting of mountain Sakartau which is to the right of road. From height Golbonshe the magnificent kind on the south - on mountain Bokty which alone towers in the middle of a huge cretaceous hollow opens. Before turn on northeast to mosque Beket ata on the right there is far below a well-known valley Boszhira. Soon the road turns on the north and results us in valley Oglandy.
After visiting mausoleum Oglandy ata it is gone down on steps from shelly plates to underground mosque Beket ata. The distance from descent from a plateau up to a underground mosque makes about 1 kilometer of 200 meters, on time it borrows from 25 till 30 minutes. Difference on height from edge of a plateau (precipice) of Ustyurt up to mosque Beket-ata makes about 200 meters.
Visiting of mosque Beket-ata. Walk to the most ancient necropolis which is below a mosque about 300 meters. Under legends, Beket-ata veins in cretaceous rooms its habitation consisted of kitchen and two rooms cut down in a rock.
Returning to top mosque Beket ata (45 minutes).
A fine ornament of a trip to underground mosque Beket ata can be meetings with Ustyrt moufflons which have chosen to itself valley Oglandy, here moufflons they live and are made reproduce under protection sacred Beket ata. Visiting of top mosque Beket ata, tea drinking. 
Transfer to Актау (277 km).

Mosque holy Beket-ata.Mosque holy Beket-ata.Mosque holy Beket-ata.Mosque Shopan-ata.Mosque Shopan-ata.Mosque Shopan-ata.

Photos by
Alexandr Petrov.

Note:
Author program is Alexander Petrov. Copying and introduction - only from the sanction of the author - petrovsra@mail.ru