The Village of Senek
Senek is a village in the Mangystau Region that was founded over 50 years ago. It is quite small: about 2 thousand people live there. The village is mostly known to tourists as the nearest settlement to Mangystau's most famous tourist attractions – Bosjira Tract, Mount Bokty, Shopan Ata, and Beket Ata Underground Mosques. Travelers often stop by in Senek to gas up and buy supplies before a long road into the desert. Some even stay there for the night.
The village is known to be endangered by the ever-shifting dunes that are located nearby. These dunes pose a certain threat to roads and even people’s houses. However, tourists find the sand dunes attractive and visit them to take photographs or take a stroll on the sand.
The Necropolis
Another place of interest in the village is its cemetery which dates back to the 19-20th century. It’s situated east of Senek on the old caravan route that once led to Khwarazm, the center of the Iranian Khwarezmian civilization. The necropolis contains five domed mausoleums, several saganatams (fences forming rectangles with columns at the corners), kulpytases (pillars with four or eight faces), and koytases (stone tombstones with images of rams or weapons).
How to get there?
The road from Aktau to Senek is paved but it’s still in quite bad condition, so it is recommended to drive an off-road car. The road from Aktau to the village takes about 2.5 hours; the distance is 195 km (121 mi). To reach Senek, follow the A-33 highway to the town of Zhanaozen. Then take the P-117 road and drive east.
Other tourist attractions near the village of Senek:
• Ustyurt Plateau
• The Town of Zhanaozen
• Shopan Ata Underground Mosque
• Beket Ata Underground Mosque