Mangistau Underground Mosques and Silk Road cities may gain UNESCO heritage status
State Counsellor and Chairman of Kazakh National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO Yerlan Karin and Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre and UNESCO’s Acting Assistant Director-General for Culture, met in the Kazakh capital, Qazinform News Agency learnt form the Akorda press service.
Yerlan Karin thanked Lazare Eloundou Assomo for participating in the international symposium titled The Golden Horde as a Model of Steppe Civilization: History, Archaeology, Culture, Identity held in Astana under UNESCO’s auspices.
During the meeting, the sides focused on including significant Kazakh heritage sites in UNESCO’s international lists.
Two nominations involving Kazakhstan will be considered in Busan, South Korea, on July 19–29, 2026. In particular, the country’s national nomination includes the Mangistau Underground Mosques — featuring outstanding monuments such as Beket Ata, Karaman Ata, Shopan Ata, Shakpak Ata, and Sultan Epe.
Transnational nomination features Silk Road – Fergana–Syrdarya Corridor — jointly submitted with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, including world-renowned sites: Otyrar, Sauran, Turkistan, Syganak, Zhetyasar, Zhankent.
Yerlan Karin emphasized Kazakhstan’s commitment to expanding cooperation with UNESCO and strengthening mutually beneficial partnerships.
Earlier, Kazakhstan submitted new nominations to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program, including works of Abai Kunanbayev, materials on the first Kazakh opera Kyz Zhibek and runic inscriptions on the Issyk Cup.
Recall that, the international symposium The Golden Horde as a Steppe Civilization Model: History, Archaeology, Culture and Identity kicked off at the Palace of Independence in Astana on May 19.