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The Ishim River, a tributary of the Irtysh River, runs through Kazakhstan and Russia. Its length is 1,530 miles (2,450km). The Ishim River is partly navigable in its lower reaches but it is the upper course of the Ishim River that passes through Astana.
Since the founding of Astana as the governmental capital of Kazakhstan the Ishim River, within the city, has been actively managed for flood management and maintaining good water levels. This provides for recreational use and ensures the showpiece appearance desired of this river within the capital. Most Kazakh’s will tell you that if the river had not been dammed, "we would have been able to walk across it".
The Ishim River is dammed downstream of central Astana, keeping its level higher than it otherwise would be most of the time. At the same time the river bottom was made deeper in order to let flood waters through faster. Its serene lake-like expanse in central Astana, near the city park, now has a public beach.
The river ices over in winter. As you can see from the photos, the river is still sheathed in ice even though this is late March photograph.
Written Jul 20, 2008
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The Radisson SAS hotel in Astana is very close to the "Horse" bridge that crosses the Ishim River. There are horse statues at each end of this bridge to honor the nomadic past of the Kazakh's and to honor their ancestral horse culture.
Evidence suggests that the ancient inhabitants of what is today Kazakhstan were among the first to domesticate horses as early as 3700-3100 BC.
Kazakhs were, and still are, superb horsemen. Few people know that stirrups and chariots originated with the Kazakhs. They also perfected the technique of shooting an arrow with surprising accuracy while atop a galloping horse. These are war technologies that gave the Mongol Hordes such a devastating impact in their many battles.
In the past many Kazakh children, it is said, learned to ride before they walked. At the center of most Kazakh festivals is the horse in some form, be it the meat on the table, the drink (koumyss), or the entertainment. And yes, horse meat is featured in many restaurants.
Written Jul 20, 2008
"Triumph of Astana" is an office building and tower that takes a prominent but awkward place in the Astana skyline. It is modeled after the flamboyant style of 1950s Soviet architecture, exemplified by the Vysotniye Zdaniya skyscrapers (the Seven Sisters) in Moscow.
It seems to me that Astana is striving to become a very modern and engaging city and looking forward to what prosperity the future will bring. So this monument to their Soviet past just seems out of place. Its architectural style is out of step with the rest of the modern buildings in town.
The building is 466 feet (142m) tall and contains 39 floors. Regardless of what I think, it is a prestigious address in which to locate a local business.
Written Jul 20, 2008
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In the early years of the new millennium the president of Kazakhstan decided to revive the declining art of the circus as family entertainment in Kazakhstan. To that end a new circus building was erected in the capital city of Astana while the dilapidated circus theater in Almaty was also totally renovated.
Circus’s had been a fixture of Soviet life since the 1920s, when Lenin established the renowned Moscow Circus School and city planners built auditoriums to accommodate the traveling troupes that endlessly zigzagged through nine time zones to entertain the Soviet masses. Some cities like Moscow and Saratov established permanent circus’s as they were so popular. Those circus’s can still be visited today. And so Astana took a page from their book and established its own permanent circus.
For Astana, their circus building is in the remarkable form of a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object). This was a unique architectural decision for Astana as its external appearance is not similar to any other building in the city. Inside the building, however, tradition rules as there is seating for 2,000 and an arena with a diameter of 43 feet (13m).
Many of the circus employees and acts come from Kazakhstan but others have been recruited from Russia and its former commonwealth countries. So the flavor of this circus is definitely eastern and central European. In fact this circus resurrected the careers of quite a few circus people who saw their craft decline after the fall of the Soviet empire.
Two trainers from Kazakhstan and China constantly work here. The program of this circus is traditional enough: clowns, acrobats, jugglers and aerial acts. Among the animal acts there are lions, camels, a pony, dogs, a monkey, and a bear cub. While the trend in western circuses is away from animal acts, which are heavily criticized by animal welfare advocates, circuses in the former Soviet Union countries are largely tradition-based enterprises and delight in their animal acts.
Written Jul 20, 2008
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The Pyramid of Peace and Accord (also known as the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation) has been constructed completely above ground with no basements. It was designed and then built in less than two years. The pyramid portion of the building is 203 feet (62m) high and sits on a 49 foot (15m) high earth covered block.
Dressed in a lattice of stainless steel with pale grey granite triangular inserts, the building houses a 1,500 seat opera house, a university faculty, an archaeological and ethnological museum, a national spiritual center and a cafe. The pyramid shape of the building is symbolic of the unity of the diversity within Kazakhstan. The pyramid’s apex is adorned in stained glass that features images of doves which is the internationally recognized symbol of peace.
At night the pyramid is bathed in lights that change color regularly providing a subtle and tranquil beauty to this monument in the dark. It is well worth standing outside this building at night to watch the changing colors and moods of this glass pyramid.
Written Jul 20, 2008
Bayterek Tower is a popular tourist attraction for everyone who visits Astana as it symbolizes the new status of this young capital city of Kazakhstan. The top of the artistically appealing structure is a gilt sphere (like an egg) crowning a mythological tree. The total height of the structure is 105 meters (344 feet) and at 97 meters (318 feet) there is an observation deck providing a bird's eye view of the city. The figure of 97 was not chosen at random. It symbolizes the year (1997) of the movement of the capital from Almaty to Astana.
The philosophy of "Bayterek" is that it embodies a legend about a magic bird of happiness. The bird, named Samruk, laid its egg in the crevice between two branches of a poplar tree. Bayterek translates into Kazakh as "a tall poplar".
The Bayterek Tower complex has an art gallery, a nice aquarium and a restaurant.
Written Jul 20, 2008
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The lights of Astana are festive and colorful!
I was only in Astana for one day and two nights so I could not take the time to visit the attractions of Astana the way I would have like to see them.
But we did than an opportunity to drive around Astana at night and it was very nice. It is hard to take good photos at night, mostly from an automobile with only an occasional real stop, but I found the eye appeal of Astana to be very satisfying.
Updated Jul 20, 2008
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Because the governmental capital of Kazakhstan was moved to Astana just a few years ago, 1997, all of the government buildings are new and in good shape. They were all built to have function and purpose while being pleasing to the eye and providing visual appeal to Astana.
Provided here are a few of the governmental building that I saw, on my drive at night through Astana.
Written Jul 19, 2008
Radisson Sas Hotel, Astana Astana
Rixos President Hotel Astana Astana
1 Review and 60 Opinions Luxury hotel offers everything to satisfie modern tourist needs. This is really a hotel built...
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