Beket Ata Underground Mosque

When 18th-century Sufi mystic Beket-Ata built his underground mosque 1.5 kilometers into the Mangystau desert rock, he wasn’t just creating a place of worship, scientists now theorize it doubled as an astronomical observatory. The scholar-astronomer-healer used celestial observations to predict weather patterns for nomadic tribes. Today, pilgrims descending the steep canyon steps share communal meals at the entrance, and must exit each of the mosque’s four chambers walking backward to avoid offending spirits. In Western Kazakhstan, locals believe simply uttering Beket-Ata’s name wards off bad luck.