Good Alma-Ata: we have a lot to learn! Sights of Almaty: list, photos and descriptions Cuisine and restaurants of Almaty

Almaty is one of the most interesting and worthy cities in Kazakhstan. Active development started in 1854 (founding date). Previously, there was a Kazakh settlement of Almaty on the territory, which was the Russian border fort Verny. In the last few years, the city has become increasingly attractive to tourists who dream of enjoying beautiful architecture, long straight streets, and amazing cleanliness.

Almaty is a wonderful city that attracts not only residents of Kazakhstan, but also Russia, the CIS and even Europe. An easy perception of the city, clean air, and order are complemented by the following attractions:

The main attraction is Republic Square, where the Akimat (Government House), the Central State Museum and the Independence Monument are located.

The Central State Museum is one of the largest in all of Asia. Visitors can see about 300 thousand valuable monuments material and spiritual culture of the Kazakh people, which are presented in seven exhibition halls.

The monument, in turn, is the center of the sculptural exhibition. The total length of the exhibition exceeds 100 meters. The monument is made in the form of a stele with the “Golden Man”, who controls a winged leopard. Great performance!

Address: Satpayev street.

The Palace of the Republic is one of the most important concert halls in the city of Almaty. The building is located at the intersection of two famous avenues, or rather Abai and Dostyk. In front of the palace, where important cultural events are regularly held, there is a monument to the philosopher Abay Kunanbayev and fountains.

The building is designed in an interesting way, which gives it a three-dimensional design and the impression of floating in the air. The composition includes spacious rooms located under a powerful roof. Eight reinforced concrete supports are used as support.

In 2010, reconstruction was carried out for the first time, during which energy-saving and environmentally friendly, safe materials were used. An innovation was an orchestra pit with lifting mechanisms and a special platform designed for storing musical instruments.

The concert hall is designed for 3,000 people.

Address: Dostyk Avenue-56.

In Almaty, mosques are still being built, which are the basis of the city ensemble.

Sultan Korgan is one of the most famous mosques, which includes three tiers. Its construction was carried out in 1995 - 1997 based on the design of the architect Sh. Yusupov.

The mosque is distinguished by the following worthy aspects:

• A large prayer hall designed for 500 praying people.
• A special platform located in front of the entrance to the hall and distinguished by a hemispherical blue dome and small domes above the turrets of decorative minarets.
• The park surroundings of the mosque: the garden has an Islamic and pre-Islamic sacred interpretation.
• Exquisite design of the exterior and interior of the mosque.
• Pastel colors that help calm people.
• A classic 3-stage minbar that opens to every person.
• Gradual narrowing of the interior towards the upper dome with a diameter of 6 meters.
• 3-sided balcony serving for the women's room.

Sultan Korgan is one of the most interesting and important mosques in Almaty.

Address: Zhansugurova street-394.

One of the most worthy attractions of the Kazakh city of Almaty is the majestic Mount Kok-Tobe. You can get to it by cable car or special bus. And then amazing opportunities for tourist pastime appear:

• Admiring the panorama of the city and the TV tower.
• Visit to a children's playground, restaurant and mini-zoo.
• Capturing beautiful photographs with a bronze sculpture of the legendary band Bea

Without a doubt, you need to get to Mount Kok-Tobe.

Ice complex Medeu, located in the high mountain region of Almaty ( 1691 meters above sea level), is one of the most legendary landmarks in the entire city. The history of the complex began in 1920, but then the creation of resort areas in the Medeo tract had just begun. In 1970, construction began on a sports ice complex, which hosts numerous competitions.

Medeu is one of the largest sports complexes with an area of ​​10.5 thousand square meters. Visitors can also note the convenience of visiting thanks to the presence of a convenient cable car and a large scoreboard in the 200 square meter arena. Additional benefits include a cafeteria and a hotel.

Address: Gornaya street - 465.

Aksai Gorge is a picturesque place in Kazakhstan. The total length of this beautiful corner is 20 kilometers. In the gorge you can see clean drinking water, because the Aksai River starts next to high-mountain glacial lakes.

Above the spruce belt there are alpine corners, majestic rocks... In the lower part you can see shrubs and deciduous trees. Such picturesque nature contributes to the active growth of the popularity of the Aksai Gorge among tourists.

Address: Ile-Alatau National Park.

Almaty is famous for its interesting railway museum, which was opened in 1999. The history of the museum center started thanks to the collection of veteran railway worker Beisen Shormakov. Initially, visitors were offered a small number of exhibits, but over time the collection became rich and interesting. All expositions show how railway transport developed in Kazakhstan.

So, visitors can see the following valuable exhibits:

• Household items of the Kazakh people and caravan settlements.
• Working tools of railway workers.
• Models that illustrate historical events.
• Personal belongings of railway workers.
• Archival documents.
• Railway icons.
• Railway station systems.

The guides will tell you about the development of the railway sector in Kazakhstan.

Address: Furmanova street-127.

In the eastern part of the city of Almaty there is a zoo. The exact location is at the foot of the northern mountain slope, in a park area.

A zoo is necessary to preserve and reproduce the gene pool of wild animals. At the same time, people can see many animals and learn more about them.

The zoo was created in January 1935 with the implementation of traditional design. The official opening took place in 1937.

Total area - 32 hectares. At the same time, 13 hectares are allocated for cages and aviaries, and 19 hectares for ponds with waterfowl.

The animals are divided into seven sections:

• Ungulates.
• Carnivorous mammals.
• Primates.
• Exotic birds.
• Predator birds.
• Exotarium.
• Aquarium.

It's no wonder that adults and children love the local zoo.

Address: Ormanova street.

The botanical garden is located in the central part of the city of Almaty. Its total area is 103 hectares.

The history of the botanical garden started in 1932. From that time on, active working and scientific activities began. Botanists and breeders are working to study the acclimatization of plants and identify economically valuable species. The main task is to green the entire country.

Visitors can note the amazing beauty of the botanical garden:

• Birch, oak, pine, rowan and variegated groves.
• Large greenhouses.
• Exotic plants.

Perfect cleanliness and beautiful nature in the center of Almaty are a reality!

Address: Timiryazeva street-48.

The Geological Museum is one of the most important cultural attractions. The story began in 1942. Active development started in the post-war period.

The basis of the exhibition is collection geological materials, samples of minerals and ores. The exhibits are presented by geological territorial departments and private collectors.

Address: Dostyk Avenue-85.

The Schoolchildren's Palace is an important symbol of the city of Almaty. The opening took place in 1983.

From the very beginning, the palace is distinguished by dynamic forms that are interestingly combined with the background of the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau. The central part is topped with a dome. At the same time, one can note the 40-meter tower of the observatory, located on the left side of the main dome.

The following materials were used in the construction of the observatory tower:

• Two types of granite (Balkhash and Kordai).
• Shell rock Mangystau.
• Natural wood.
• Metal.

The Schoolchildren's Palace is an institution where the younger generation is able to actively develop thanks to numerous clubs in different directions, sports sections, a concert hall, and an observatory.

Address: Dostyk Avenue-124.

The theater received the status of a national institution of Kazakhstan. Its history began back in 1932 in the Far East. Over 80 years of work, about 250 performances and concert programs. The repertoire includes national and modern Korean performances, Kazakh and foreign drama productions. Currently, the theater complements the museum.

Address: Papanina street - 70/1.

The Mausoleum of Raiymbek Batyr is one of the most interesting historical sights of Almaty. The museum was created in honor of a warrior who lived in the Middle Ages and participated in battles against the Dzungars. Raiymbek gained fame thanks to his well-thought-out combat tactics in the battle with the Dzungar Khanate, as a result of which he managed to win a valuable victory.

Address: Raiymbek Avenue.

The main vacation spot in the city of Almaty is the picturesque Park named after 28 Panfilov Guardsmen. The total area of ​​the park area is 18 hectares. The park was founded in the 1880s on the site of the village cemetery, but the original name Starokladbischensky was changed. It should be noted that throughout its history the park has changed its name many times. In 1942, the modern name was officially adopted.

The park is well maintained:

• Landscaped green area.
• Beautiful alleys and paths.
• Growing oaks, pines, aspens, elm spruces, poplars and maples.

The walk promises to give bright and truly pleasant impressions.

Address: Limited to the following streets: Gogol. Kunaeva, Kazybek bi, Zenkova.

Almaty is famous for its monument to the British rock band Bealtes. The monument was erected on the territory of the city park, located on the majestic Mount Kok-Tyube, in the spring of 2007. The sculpture is an original composition with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison. The atmosphere is enhanced by the Beatles' music blasting from the park's many speakers.

Address: Park Kok Tobe.

Almaty is a chic city in Kazakhstan... It is here that you can note the fresh air and the cleanliness, neatness and order of the local population. Numerous monuments, well-designed buildings, cultural institutions and picturesque nature, park complexes - that’s all that is open to tourists.

Almaty is the administrative center of the Alma-Ata region of Kazakhstan, the first capital of the country. Very often the city is called the “Southern Capital of Kazakhstan” - some government agencies are still located in the city, in particular, the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan. In the Kazakh language the name “Almaty” is often used. Both names of the city have equal rights and are widely used. Almaty has a population of 1,600,000 people and is the largest city in Kazakhstan. The city is located on two rivers - Bolshaya Almaatinka and Malaya Almaatinka. The city is located near the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range.

Story

Before the founding of the city, numerous nomadic Saka tribes lived in these places. And before the official founding of the city in the seventh century, a settlement appeared here and it was called Almaty - almost like Almaty.

In the thirteenth century, the area around modern Alma-Ata was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars, ancient Almaty fell into disrepair, and by the end of the sixteenth century only a few Kazakh families lived in the town.

The city was re-founded in 1854 after the annexation of Turkestan to Russia. The city was given a name - Faithful. Verny was founded as a military garrison. At the same time, the Semirechensk region was formed, which was part of the Turkestan Governor-General.

Soviet power in Verny was established in 1917. And in 1921 the city received its modern name - Alma-Ata.

Since 1936, Almaty became the administrative center of the Kazakh SSR.

In 1941, after the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, part of the industrial enterprises from the western part of the USSR was evacuated to Alma-Ata. Thanks to this, the city became the industrial center of Kazakhstan.

After the war, it was decided not to return some of the factories and enterprises back to their old locations and the city continued to develop as a large industrial center.

From 1991 to 1997, the city was the capital of the already independent Kazakhstan. After 1997, Almaty lost its status as a capital, as the bulk of government agencies and ministries were moved to Akmola (formerly Tselinograd), but it was decided to leave several ministries in Almaty. Therefore, today the city is often called the “Southern Capital” of Kazakhstan. It's time to get to know Almaty better.

Map

Museums

The city has its own museums that are worth visiting and worth seeing.

Alma-Ata Railway Museum – an interesting place that fans of steel highways love to visit. The entire history of the development of Kazakh railways is collected here. This is a young museum, opened in 1999. There are many models of locomotives and passenger cars, there are historical photographs related to the construction of the Turkestan-Siberian Railway, and there are interesting documents.

Museum of Arts of Kazakhstan – an interesting museum in the center of Almaty. There are copies of paintings by European medieval artists - Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Goya, Caravaggio, Bruegel and other masters of the brush. The second department of the museum is dedicated to Russian painting - paintings by Aivazovsky, Repin, Vereshchagin, Shishkin, Savrasov, Levitan are on display here. The works of contemporary Kazakh artists are also presented here.

Museum of Kazakh folk musical instruments named after Ykylas – a favorite place for music lovers. Most of the oriental and Kazakh musical instruments are collected here.

Book Museum– another wonderful museum in the “Southern Capital”. The museum will tell the history of the development of Kazakh printing and book publishing.

State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan - This is the largest museum in Almaty and throughout Kazakhstan. It was established in the 30s of the last century. This museum covers the history of Kazakhstan in detail, there are Kazakh national clothes, many archival photographs and documents. There is a wonderful paleontology hall. This is the most visited museum in Kazakhstan.

Museum of Archeology – opened in 1973. The museum's exhibition includes objects made of bronze, silver and gold, found during archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Almaty.

Military History Museum – introduces visitors to the history of the development of military affairs in Kazakhstan, the history of the Kazakh Armed Forces.

Attractions

Almaty is a very beautiful city, especially in spring, and a walk around it will be a real pleasure.

Kunaeva Street is the main street in Almaty. The best shops and restaurants in Almaty have long been located here. There are quite a lot of people here. The street is landscaped, so a walk along it will be pleasant in any weather.

Republic Square – the central square of the “Southern Capital”. The mayor's office (akkamat) of Almaty is located here. The square has long been considered a place of mass celebrations and demonstrations of Almaty residents.

Almaty fountains – there are as many as 120 of them in the city! And each of them has earned the right to be their own unique attraction. The fountains are connected by a ditch network, which was previously used for city needs when there was no running water in the city.

High mountain skating rink "Medeo" — located at an altitude of 1700 meters above sea level near Almaty. This skating rink is a real forge of world speed skating records - over the years, 33 world speed records have been set here!

TV tower "Koktobe" - another attraction in Almaty. Its height is 371 meters, it is higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1984, the tower was damaged by fire, so now it is impossible to climb to its observation deck - it is closed to tourists.

Monuments

There are a lot of monuments in the city:

— a monument to pilot S. D. Lugansky, twice Hero of the Soviet Union;

— monument to M.I. Kalinin, a Soviet statesman;

— a monument to P. M. Vinogradov, an Alma-Ata revolutionary;

— a monument to Mukhtar Auezov, a Kazakh writer and playwright;

- monument to Dzhambul - Kazakh poet-akyn;

— monument to soldiers of the Great Patriotic War;

— a monument to Sabir Sharipov, a writer and revolutionary;

- monument to A. Moldagulova and M. Mametova - Heroes of the Soviet Union;

— a monument to Sabit Mukanov, a Kazakh writer and poet;

- monument to Mahatma Gandhi - Indian politician;

— a monument to Temirbek Zhurgenev, a party and statesman;

— mausoleum of Raimbek Batyr;

— a monument to Turmagambet Iztleuov, a repressed akyn;

— a monument to Quddus Kuzhamyarov, a Uyghur composer and teacher;

- monument to Kurmangazy - Kazakh akyn of the 19th century;

— monument to Turar Ryskulov;

— monument “Eternal glory to those who fell in battles for the Motherland”;

— monument “Eternal Memory of Fallen Heroes”;

— monument to V.I. Lenin;

— monument to M.V. Frunze;

— a monument to Emelev Lucian, a participant in the Civil War;

— monument to M.I. Kalinin;

— monument “To the memory of the fallen, be worthy”;

— a monument to Uraz Dzhandosov, an Alma-Ata revolutionary;

— Monument of Independence;

- monument to Kanysh Satpayev - academician;

- monument to Abilkhan Kasteev - artist;

— monument “Dawn of Freedom”;

— a monument to Kulyash Baiseitova, an opera singer;

— monument to Amangeldy Imanov, a revolutionary;

— monument to Abylai Khan;

— a monument to Gabit Musrepov, a writer and playwright;

— a monument to Mukagali Makataev, a poet and writer;

- monument to Abai Kunanbayev - poet and philosopher;

— monument to revolutionary D. A. Furmanov;

— monument to the Fighters of the October Revolution;

— monument to General I.V. Panfilov;

— a monument to the scientist and ethnographer Chokan Valikhanov;

— a monument to the founder of the Komsomol of Kazakhstan, Gani Muratbaev;

- Memorial of Glory;

— a monument to the Soviet party leader D. A. Kunaev;

— monument to the revolutionary Tokas Bokin;

— a monument to the poet - akyn Dzhambul;

— a monument to the revolutionary Alibi Dzhangildin;

— a monument to the famous British rock group “The Beatles”;

— a monument to A.S. Pushkin, a Russian writer;

— a monument to Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian writer;

— a monument to Mukan Tulebaev – composer and teacher;

— a monument to Kazakh soldiers who died in Afghanistan;

— a monument to the scientist-archaeologist Alkey Margulan;

— monument to Hero of the Soviet Union Bauyrzhan Momysh-uly;

— a monument to Nurgisa Tlendiev, composer and conductor;

- a monument to soldiers Yuri Direktorchuk and Anatoly Dukhovich who died in 1968.

Religious buildings

Almaty is not deprived of Muslim temples and other religious institutions:

a) Muslim temples:

— Central Mosque of Almaty;

— Sultan Korgan Mosque;

— Tatar mosque;

— Mountain Giant Mosque;

- Al Hamid Mosque;

— Orbit Mosque;

— Bakytkelde mosque;

— Asker-Ata mosque;

— “Amankul Ata” mosque;

b) Orthodox churches:

— Cathedral in honor of the Ascension of the Lord;

— St. Nicholas Cathedral;

— a temple in the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow;

— Iversko-Seraphim Convent;

c) Armenian churches:

— Sub Khach Church;

d) Catholic churches:

- parish of the Holy Trinity;

e) Lutheran churches:

— Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul;

f) Protestant churches:

- Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists;

g) Jewish temples:

— Central Synagogue of Kazakhstan named after Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson;

h) Buddhist temples:

- Buddhist temple of Almaty.

Stations

Alma-Ata has two railway stations - Alma-Ata-I and Alma-Ata-II. Long-distance trains depart from both stations with the difference that transit trains pass through the Alma-Ata-I station, and the Alma-Ata-II station is the final station for trains for which the final destination is the “Southern Capital”. Trains depart from Alma-Ata-II station, the route of which begins in Alma-Ata.

From Almaty you can travel by train to:

a) to the cities of Kazakhstan - to Uralsk, Aktobe, Kzyl-Orda, Shymkent, Dzhambul, Semipalatinsk, Astana, Karaganda, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Mangyshlak, Kustanay, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Kokchetav, Arkalyk, Dzhezkazgan, Taldy-Kurgan, Atyrau;

b) to Russian cities - Moscow, Tambov, Saratov, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Kirov, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan;

c) to the cities of Uzbekistan - to Tashkent, Gulistan, Samarkand, Navoi, Nukus;

d) to the cities of Kyrgyzstan - to Bishkek;

e) to the cities of China - to Urumqi.

Thanks to the presence of a direct railway connection with the large Chinese city of Urumqi, Almaty is also used as a transit point for many passengers traveling to China for cheap goods.

Parks

The city has very beautiful parks.

Parks named after the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - a very young park, which opened quite recently - in 2010. The park is equipped to the most modern standards - beautiful flower beds are planted, benches for relaxation are installed, and there are cozy walking alleys. The park is decorated with six beautiful cascading fountains.

Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Gorky – the oldest park in the city. Previously, this park before the revolution was called “Government Garden”. There are attractions for adults and children, many cafes, and a summer restaurant. This park is used for both active and leisurely recreation by Almaty residents and city guests.

Markets

Finally, let's take a look at the Almaty flea market. This is a whole trading city with its own quarters and streets. There are a lot of Chinese traders and cheap Chinese goods at the Almaty flea market. Here you need to carefully choose the product and be sure to bargain. At the market you can buy an exclusive set of furniture, ancient coins, books, and cheap clothes.

Climate

In conclusion, the article is about the climate of the “Southern capital”. The climate in Almaty is continental. Winter is cold and snowy, with frequent snowstorms. Often the thermometer drops to 30 degrees below zero. Summer is warm, but not very hot, although 30 degrees in the shade in the summer months is the usual temperature for Almaty. Residents of the city love to swim: both rivers – Bolshaya and Malaya Almaatinka – are well suited for this. You can get into the water in the second half of May. They finish swimming in the second half of September.

It so happened that “my” Central Asia has its own capital - Alma-Ata. I came here four times, spent a total of almost two months, and this, I think, is not the limit. Whatever one may say, Alma-Ata is the most comfortable city for a modern person for thousands of kilometers around: rich and, more importantly, globalized, and it’s convenient for me to relax here between trips to the patriarchal Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and in the future, I hope, Tajik, Turkmen and Western Chinese hinterlands. Moreover, with a view of the mountains...

Most of the time in Almaty, of course, I spent in the apartment (the mountains are still visible from the window!), but still there were walks, shopping trips, trips around the surrounding area - the fantastic land of Semirechye, and even a meeting other travelers: I have settled into this city so much that I can already drive around it. I already have a lot of posts about Almaty and the region; a lot is said there about Almaty sights, features, and general atmosphere. So now - without any special excursions, just a few sketches from a well-known city.

Alma-Ata-2 station is a dead end, but almost in the center, in contrast to the much larger transit Alma-Ata on the lower outskirts. I came here and left here many times, but only now I thought of climbing onto the overpass, from which this truly Almaty view opens up with the icy ridge of the Trans-Ili Alatau (northern ridge of the Tien Shan):

The outskirts in Almaty are not northern and southern, but lower and upper. The main landmark, respectively, is the bottom and the top, and since most of the city has a clearly defined rectangular plan, it is quite difficult to get lost here. The strangest feature of the relief is that Alma-Ata is actually flat, like St. Petersburg or Riga, but very noticeably inclined. Recently, this feature has been displayed in the signs of central streets:

In the central city Park of Panfilovtsev there is peace and quiet, a birch tree can be hugged by a Russian tourist tired of Asia, and birdhouses have recently been installed:

And at the post office near the Sayakhat bus station there are tamgas of Kazakh clans (and not only, for example, “Tore” is the Chingizids, the most eminent nobility):

One of the most characteristic decorations of the Almaty center - the figures of animals and birds inhabiting Semirechye, appeared in all my previous posts, and I should somehow bring them together... this, however, seems to be something non-local:

In the courtyard closer to the outskirts there are amateur performances by residents on the same topic, so as not to lag behind the center:

They don't forget about technology either. This truck is parked at the Raimbek-Batyr metro station, the lower terminus, which is extremely conveniently located - a 10-15 minute walk to the station and one of the bus stations:

Where would we be today without a park with fancy benches? This is opposite the Old Square, near the monument to war heroines Aliya Moldagulova and Manshuk Mametova.

The intersection of Abay and Furmanov in the very center is marked by this old-style pile driver - we thought it was some half-abandoned military facility from the Cold War, but it turned out that it was just a metro construction mine, and the pile driver is quite new:

I was much more puzzled by these... let's say, melons... in the courtyard of one of the non-central districts:

One of the universities (Kazakh-French, as you can see) has Baiterek and the Eiffel Tower. It’s amazing how the Kazakhs turned this generally quite meaningless and, in my opinion, not very beautiful thing into a recognizable symbol of the nation.

And there are actually a lot of universities in Almaty, including honest Soviet ones. One of them shows another example of the concrete texture that local late Soviet architecture is so rich in:

People in Almaty are trying to be creative. Either they put up installations, then they open anti-cafes (in 2013, by 2015 they were almost gone), then they express themselves in signs. I regret that I didn’t take a photo of the cafe “La Pasijou”. And here is some fierce ethnographic postmodernism “At Aunt Tanya’s” (“apa” is the oldest woman):

There is a whole network of “Antipozhar” stores with a superhero fire extinguisher in Almaty, but they may not be of local origin:

Well, number 1 is definitely this! The top inscription, by the way, is in Uzbek (“Uzbek national dishes”), the bottom one is in English, and somehow there is nothing in the state Kazakh and Russian. Yes, and there is no need, and so everything is clear:

And this is a printing salon, where, at Sardor’s request, I ordered a Russian flag (don’t think, for the Chimkent People’s Republic the flag of Uzbekistan would be more relevant). I must say that with modern means of communication, creativity penetrates here regularly, but Almaty residents still have to work and work with the service - they haven’t heard about ordering by phone, payment upon delivery or remotely from a card in this salon, you had to first go, place an order in person and pay , and pick it up in a couple of days. However, everything was done beautifully and with soul:

The local public catering industry is no less amusing - there are WILDLY (not even “very”) many of its establishments, from a restaurant to a shawarma stall, but I haven’t been able to find a good cafe in Alma-Ata until now. The food here, as in all of Central Asia, is difficult for a European, but you can still find chicken, pork, fish, as well as all sorts of moldy cheeses and Parmesan, which did not take root in Central Asian cities, but in our country are now under embargo.

A little about people. Here are a couple of sketches from the local Arbat:

A Cossack woman plays music in Panfilovtsev Park. The Semirechensk Cossacks, the first inhabitants of the city of Verny, have been desperately trying to revive throughout the post-Soviet period, which is not easy - about 2/3 of the troops were killed in the Civil War, the vast majority of the remaining went to China and further to Australia. There are several organizations of the current Cossacks here, and the Semireks behave like regular Cossacks (who, as they say, “where there are two Cossacks, there are three hetmans”) - the intensity of passions can be assessed in the comments to my post about. In fact, I don’t understand this, because in essence these Cossacks are all doing a common cause - they are guarding the border of the Russian World on the CULTURAL front, reminding us by the very fact of their existence that this is not a foreign land to us.

Schoolchildren rehearse for the 70th anniversary of the Victory. They say that from the Soviet past, two values ​​are unshakable for most Kazakhstanis - Victory and Space. One of the symbols of Almaty is Panfilov’s men (after all, even despite the debunking of the legend about the “28 bravest”, this division formed in Semirechye passed its heroic path to the Baltic states), one of the symbols of all of Kazakhstan is Baikonur, after which the districts are named here, street and new buildings. And if they are still trying to shake the price of space through environmental rhetoric, then the consensus on Victory is almost stronger than the Russian one. I already wrote “from the spot”.

And on the steps of the Palace of the Republic they said goodbye to Batyrkhan Shukenov - without exaggeration, the whole of Kazakhstan mourned him:

In 2012, I wrote more about Alma-Ata - (including villages), views from the hill. In 2013, he created a whole cycle “Up Alma-Ata” - gloomy, center (and halves), prestigious and finally. I also didn’t forget about the general thing, talking about one of the most interesting features of the Tilted City -. One area then remained uncovered, approximately corresponding to those “even higher than the center”... but aside: if the center descends along the left bank of Malaya Almatinka, then this area is along its branch Vesnovka, or in Kazakh Esentai:

However, it would be more correct to say that the center descends from the Golovony ditch, which feeds the entire system and flows here from Malaya Almatinka. The frame above is a clear illustration of the regulation of local rivers - exactly one quarter of the flow was taken and blocked (by letting the water go somewhere bypassed) for some work. A little lower are neighborhoods of khrushchev houses and Stalinist low-rise buildings, and somewhere from Mukanova Street prestigious areas begin, most similar to the western half of Moscow. The residential complex "Emerald City" with towers is good for its simplicity:

At the intersection with Abai Avenue, somewhere above the Head Ditch hidden underground, three cultural and public buildings from the 1970s stand side by side. On the left bank of Vesnovka there is a small Palace of Weddings with a mosaic about Enlik and Kebek (“Kazakh Romeo and Juliet”) on the facade. Their story, of course, is beautiful and significant for the Kazakh people, but is there still a place for them at the Palace of Brocades, given the tragic ending?

On the right bank of Vesnovka is the Kazakh Drama Theater named after Auezov (1982), founded back in 1925 and moved from there to Alma-Ata following its capital status. There are generally a lot of theaters in Almaty, at least 4 more (the nondescript Russian named after Lermontov, the simple Kazakh Youth Theater, the luxurious Stalinist Kazakh Opera House and the constructivist Uyghur Theater) are shown in two posts about the center, and somewhere on the outskirts there are still the German and Korean theaters (the latter , together with the Koreans themselves, were deported here from Vladivostok), but this one is also the oldest.

26. And don’t ask why fish with legs eat stones - don’t forget that the Chui Valley is nearby.

In front of the theater is the metro station of the same name, and opposite across Abai Avenue is the circus (1970), completing the triptych:

It is atypical here in itself, but the surrounding details are more interesting:

Then I got a little lost - I walked towards the university, knowing that the landmark should be the tallest tower in Alma-Ata, “Esentai”, and mistook for it those pieces of glass that stick out from the foliage to the right of the circus. Later I found out that these were not so tall Rakhat Towers (102 m, 25 floors), from which I wandered off into some completely nondescript quarters of the large Koktem district - I had to return.

In fact, it was necessary to walk strictly along Vesnovka, in the perspective of which a multi-storey dean's office looms here and there... yes, having lived here for some time, I look at the buildings, and not at the greatness of the mountains - this is the correct pyramid of the Big Almaty Peak (3680m) :

The Kazakh National University, originally named after Kirov, and now named after al-Farabi (the great philosopher of the Arab Caliphate, who was born in what is now Kazakhstan) opened in 1934, and initially included only 2 faculty with fifty students and two dozen teachers, despite the fact that in Alma -Atya, the pedagogical institute has been operating for 6 years. I don’t know exactly where the first building of Kazakh State University was located, but it looked like this:

The current campus was built in 1977-86, and in my opinion, this is one of the most interesting late Soviet ensembles. At the entrance there is a small square with a high-rise rector’s office (75m), which in another regional center like Navoi or Termez would look more like an administration:

Opposite is the Student Barn. Nazarbayev was more prudent and named his palace not Ak-Saray (White Palace), but Ak-Orda (White Headquarters). Overall a beautiful building though:

In the middle is Al-Farabi... and students scurrying back and forth on the eve of the session. Although, in general, universities in Kazakhstan are weak and it is considered better to study in Russia.

The campus occupies two terraces of the slope, on the lower one, in addition to the Rectorate and the Palace, there are also faculties - on the left in the bushes of Geography and Environmental Management, on the right from bottom to top Mechanics and Mathematics, Physics and Technology and Chemical Technology:

On the second terrace there are all sorts of institutions useful to students, such as a library or a canteen, and in a cozy little forest above, in front of the Botanical Garden, there are nondescript dormitory buildings:

Close to the university is the business center "Esentai-Park" with the 38-story tower "Spring" ("Esentai"), the tallest building in the city (168m), and in all of Central Asia (after all, Astana, like the whole of Northern Kazakhstan, is traditionally the latter does not apply, but there they have already taken the line of 200 meters). In economic terms, Almaty, of course, easily “does” Tashkent, but it lags further and further behind Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, the only city with a population of one million in desert Western China.

When it comes to culture, I suspect that the three listed above are completely reversed: I won’t say anything about Urumqi, but locals have complained to me more than once about the poverty of Almaty’s cultural life. In general, comparing riotous Alma-Ata and decorous Tashkent is a separate topic.
To the right of "Esentai" on the slope there is a complex of jumps "Sunkar" (2010), built for the 2011 Asian Games, and behind them the mountain outskirts already begin - the slope goes in folds, and in some places the famous apple orchards where the Almaty aport grows have not yet been cut down for construction (Let me remind you here that the Kazakh “Almaty” is translated as “Apple”). To the left of the springboards is the village of the collective farm "Mountain Giant", on the site of which the Panfilov division was formed during the war.

This time I also went to the mountains. In 2012, I went to, where the famous high-altitude Medeu ice stadium and the Chimbulak ski resort are famous; in 2013 I went to a wilder one, but at the same time completely suburban to the lake of the same name. In 2015, with those same other travelers (very nice guys from St. Petersburg whom I met in Bukhara), I went to Medeu again:

Both shots are on a mudflow dam. And if in the city there was pleasant partly cloudy weather and slight coolness, then in the mountains it was +9 degrees and mild. Chimbulak ahead is drowning in a cloud:

Slopes damaged by a hurricane a couple of years ago:

A luxurious cable car built for the same Asian Games 2011 - the journey on it takes at least 20 minutes:

However, we took the cable car down and took a taxi for three to the top. The driver turned out to be a bit of a guide, and showed us a place that I missed on my last visit, halfway from the mudflow dam to Chimbulak - Gorelnik. This is the name of a stream at the mouth of which there is an underground spring - warm water flows from the pipe, strongly smelling of hydrogen sulfide. It comes from a 320-meter-deep well drilled in 1959, but the nondescript house behind a double fence is much more serious - a seismic station has been operating there since 1980. And although “an earthquake cannot be predicted” is a hackneyed phrase, in fact it is also incorrect: before the shocks, the chemical composition of the mineral water changes slightly, and the small earthquakes that periodically happened in Semirechye were actually foreseen here. Natural disasters are seriously feared in Almaty, yet the city of Verny was destroyed in 1887 and 1911 by earthquakes, and in 1921 by a mudslide. Just a week ago, a mudflow hit one of the outskirts - there were no deaths, but about 1,000 people were evacuated, and countless boulders had to be removed from the streets. Local horror stories include the breakthrough of the Big Almaty Lake and catastrophic earthquakes, “which happen once every hundred years, that is, just about now!”

Pedestrian bridge over the Gorelnik gorge:

On Malaya Almatinka itself, someone apparently had a good time (judging by the absence of an obelisk nearby, no casualties):

The houses of Shymbulak look good from the cable car - this is not a settlement, but a resort, all of them are for rent. “Carpathian” and “Norwegian” architecture look good in the damp darkness:

On the main site of Chimbulak. There is nowhere to warm up here, and the restaurants are more expensive than other Moscow ones:

The cable cars here are different (in the frame above you can see the beginning of one of them), they go into the cloud:

Despite the cold, we still dine on the pies we had stored, hiding under the terrace from the drizzle - although what’s the point of hiding if we’re inside a cloud? But a gust of wind tears away the covers from the nearby peaks:

And after about 15 minutes the haze recedes:

You can rise even higher, right into the thick of the clouds. In Almaty, as usual, the higher the higher, the more prestigious, and therefore above Chimbulak you can see the wooden mansions of Nazarbayev and our omnipresent Putin:

Even higher will be the monument to the Dead Climbers and the Tuyuksu Gate pass - they are in the old post. To sea level - about 2400 meters, to the city - one and a half kilometers vertically, to the center closer than from the center to the outskirts, and a little further than from here to the Kyrgyz border.

And yet, the more I get to know Alma-Ata, the less I like it. Perhaps this would be true for the vast majority of cities, but it just so happens that I spent the most time in Alma-Ata in places that were not my home. And I still like coming here as a guest, admiring the mountains, being amazed at the signs, walking along the already familiar streets, officially named after the Kazakh warriors, and among the people - like in the good old days... but I want to stay here for a long time less and less, from a couple of weeks to a month - and okay. And it’s not even a matter of “attitude towards Russians” (I can imagine how, reading the previous lines, some readers are rubbing their hands), I mainly communicated with Russians here, and they talked much less about their attitude towards themselves than in Riga, for example. It seems to me that this is the tragedy of Alma-Ata, that only against the backdrop of the surrounding outback (we are not talking about Kazakhstan, but about the whole of Central Asia), the world of patriarchal villages and mahallas, poor dusty cities, bazaars, mazars, collective taxis, registrations in 3-day terms, unaccustomed to the dissent of people, it seems like a shining metropolis. The further I go, the more life here seems to me to be profound, disproportionate to budgets and salaries, provincial, even when compared with regional centers of Russia of similar size such as Yekaterinburg, Kazan or Novosibirsk (with the exception, most likely, of business circles with whom I have not had the opportunity to communicate ). However, about other Central Asian cities, including Tashkent, such a thought never even occurred to me - “I could live there,” so all the same, Alma-Ata is the best city in its corner of the Earth, in which it is better to be a guest than a resident.

In what region is the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty) located?

A characteristic of a region or a subject of a country is the integrity and interconnection of its constituent elements, including cities and other settlements that are part of the region.

The Almaty region is an administrative unit of the state of Kazakhstan.

Population of the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty).

Year of foundation of Alma-Ata (Almaty).

In what time zone is the city of Almaty (Almaty) located?

Telephone code of the city of Almaty (Almaty)

Official website of the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty).

Flag of the city of Almaty (Almaty).

Coat of arms of the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty).

Metro in the city of Alma-Ata (Almaty).

The passenger traffic of the Alma-Ata (Almaty) metro (the congestion of the Alma-Ata (Almaty) metro) is 6.90 million people per year.

The number of metro lines in the city of Almaty (Almaty) is 1 lines. The total number of metro stations in Alma-Ata (Almaty) is 9. The length of metro lines or the length of metro tracks is: 11.30 km.

The sun always shines in Almaty! After gray Moscow, this is just some kind of holiday! I had already begun to forget what the winter sun was, but Kazakhstan restored my faith in miracles!

Many of my readers from Almaty were expecting harsh criticism, but today I have to praise the city. Almaty has begun to carry out very correct reforms! Many cities in the post-Soviet space have changed a lot, take Baku for example. But few people set a course for a city convenient for people. Several years ago, similar reforms began in Moscow, and now Alma-Ata is following the same path!

I don't know whether they will succeed or not. Judging by Panfilov Street, there are problems with implementation, but it is important that the right direction is chosen.

And we still have a lot to learn from Alma-Ata.

Let's start with the most important thing!

01. Unlike many Russian cities, Alma-Ata does not die out in winter, but continues to live and function normally. For example, municipal bike sharing still operates here, and many people use it even in snowy weather. In Moscow, in the fall, all bicycles are taken to a warehouse, since the mayor’s office believes that no one will ride in winter. In Almaty, the akimat is staffed by advanced people who understand that you can ride a bicycle around the city all year round! I hope Sobyanin will visit Kazakhstan, see how rental works there, and stop removing bicycles in Moscow in winter.

02. The same applies to street verandas of cafes and restaurants. Despite the frost they continue to work. In Russia, if an entrepreneur decides to build a street terrace in front of his establishment in winter, he will be fined and forced to dismantle it. We believe that an outdoor terrace should only be available in summer.

03. Alma-Ata skating rink) It was simply made in the center on one of the wide streets. Cool too.

04. Street cooking. Here they prepare pilaf and sell freshly squeezed juices and pasties. We usually close such stalls for the winter.

05. Even in Almaty, the reconstruction of the city center continues. The program was launched last year specifically to make the city more pedestrian-friendly. Akim (mayor) of Almaty Bauyrzhan Baibek is very determined in this regard. He made many categorical statements about the need to free the city from the dominance of cars, create high-quality infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, design a convenient public transport system and free the streets from visual garbage. The akim decided to look up to European cities, and therefore he invited Jan Geil to visit him so that he could give his recommendations.

06. Despite this, design and reconstruction work is not always carried out well. In addition, the whole process is accompanied by typical problems: dissatisfaction with motorists, complaints from local residents and accusations of sawing. But the authorities do not give up their ideas. They have big plans, and in terms of the scale of reconstruction in the post-Soviet space, Almaty is probably in second place after Moscow. It's nice that the city is developing in the right direction.

07. Plan for the reconstruction of the local Arbat. Officially, this street is called Zhibek Zholy, which translates as the Silk Road. And the architect had the idea to reflect its history in landscaping. The architect, by the way, is the same one who did Panfilov Street.

08. The project was relatively good. A broken white path was to be laid out in the middle of the street, symbolizing the Silk Road. They wanted to install bronze inserts with the names of the cities that this path crossed. Also on this path they were going to put a sculptural composition of several large figures of camels. And the rest of the space was to be filled with sports and children's playgrounds, stalls with drinks and food, street cafes and green recreation areas.

09. But the reality turned out to be harsh. Apparently, at some point the architect decided to settle on a white strip of tiles in the middle of the street and wooden benches.

10. The Almaty residents did not wait for any green hills, no sheds, or camels.

11. Many city residents were very disappointed with the result. They were especially outraged by the lack of greenery and trees in the amount in which it was promised. The planting of trees was generally celebrated with great fanfare, and the townspeople were really looking forward to it. Everyone wanted to take a walk along a shady, cool street in the summer, but now it’s clear that this won’t be possible.

12.

On the positive side, it should be noted that during the reconstruction several underground passages were replaced with above-ground ones. This is actually very cool. Old panoramas show that, despite the underground passage, people crossed the road on top. This once again proves that off-street crossings in the city center are harmful and provoke people to break the rules.

Now we've made a zebra.

13. This is what the new transitions look like, the green signal is called by the button. I noticed that not all residents know this.

14. It is very strange that they decided not to illuminate the crossing with anything at night. Backlighting is a must.

15. Bus stops are clean, no one puts advertisements on them. The police closely monitor this, and in case of violation, they punish both the poster himself and the company for which he works with fines. And the stops themselves could have been made more closed, especially for the harsh Almaty climate.

16. Almaty is the only city in Kazakhstan that has a trolleybus. It developed very rapidly until the 90s, but due to the ensuing crisis, the authorities began to close routes and dismantle the contact network. Of the 25 routes that existed at that time, only eight have survived today.

17. But unlike many Russian cities, now in Almaty they understand that trolleybuses are a modern and promising transport. The authorities have updated the entire rolling stock of the trolleybus fleet, and now it consists of Chinese vehicles of the Neoplan Kazakhstan model. Their age is no more than 10 years. There are practically no dedicated trolleybus lanes in the city, but judging by statements, the authorities are working on it. The akimat also promised to build a high-speed tram (for some reason they managed to cut out the regular one) and establish a good bus network.

18. I have already mentioned that a paid parking system was recently launched in Almaty. Of course, people were hostile to the innovation and refused to pay for parking for a long time. A bunch of angry statements immediately appeared on social networks about the fact that it was swindlers who were robbing civilians - for a long time people did not understand why they should pay for something that they could previously use for free. But the management company persistently and in detail explained the need for paid parking through the local media, and over time, people got used to it.

True, problems still continued to arise. For example, paid parking lots were immediately flooded with illegal immigrants in vests, who began collecting fees from motorists on behalf of the management company. We had to fight them quite long and hard. Another problem was that motorists began to demand that someone guard their cars, it’s not in vain that they pay money. And here, too, the management company had to carry out explanatory work. People were told that they were paying for the use of municipal land and that no one was obligated to guard their troughs parked on the sidewalks.

People still continue to complain. Some complain that parking is too expensive, others don’t like that they are located far from popular shops or institutions. At the same time, no one is in a hurry to switch to public transport, and many still drive cars, preferring to leave them in the courtyards of other people’s houses instead of paying for municipal parking.

As for paid parking, I can say that they are very cheap and there are few of them. The entire center should be made payable and illegal parking should be combated.

19. Kazakhstani parcel terminals with automated delivery of parcels. The system is very similar to the Russian PickPoint.

20. Furmanov Street, at the numerous requests of workers, was renamed Nursultan Nazarbayev Avenue back in November. Thus, the authorities and townspeople unanimously decided to thank the president for all the good that he did for Almaty during his endless reign)

21. The city also has its own ski resort! Not visiting Shymbulak during a trip to Almaty is the same as not coming to Krasnaya Polyana during a visit to Sochi.

22. Shymbulak greets guests with instructions in three languages ​​on how to behave in the event of a terrorist threat. It won't be too much!

23. The climb starts from Medeo.

24. Shymbulak is located at an altitude of 2260 meters, approximately 20 kilometers from the city. At first it was an ordinary sports base, opened back in 1954. Alpine skiers trained there and championships of the USSR and Kazakhstan were held. In the 80s, a hotel, a medical center, additional ski lifts and other infrastructure began to be built here, and gradually this place turned from a sports facility into a new tourist center.

25. Local architecture.

26.

27. In general, in terms of architecture, everything was done very well! I was pleasantly surprised by the design of the buildings.

28.

29. Straight France!

30. Beauty

31.

32. By the way, various championships of Kazakhstan are still held here. In addition, in 2011, stages of alpine skiing competitions took place here as part of the Asian Winter Games, and last year - as part of the World Winter Universiade.

33. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, here you can fly by helicopter or paraglider, hike, mountain bike, go on off-road excursions and ride horses. For children there is a camp, a ropes course and a trampoline center.

34. In winter, the resort sells season passes. A subscription for children under 10 years old costs 150 thousand tenge, for people from 11 to 23 years old - 210 thousand tenge, and for adults - 290 thousand tenge. It gives you the right to ski and use the ski lifts without restrictions throughout the season and also provides a free parking space. Regular one-day passes for adults cost 6,500 tenge on weekdays and 9,500 tenge on weekends, and when purchasing a pass on the website you can get a 25% discount. Renting a standard set of skis or snowboard costs another 5,000 tenge.

35. The slopes themselves are primitive and boring.

36.

37. There is still little snow.

38. Recently an international forum on digital technologies in economics and entrepreneurship was held here.

39. Russian Il-96 at Almaty airport. Medvedev arrived on it. The next day after I left, Shymbulak was closed to visitors and our prime minister skated there. People were told that they were fighting avalanches.

40.

41. An old cargo An-26 in the service of border guards.

42. The Tu-136 has been in storage here since last year.

43.

44. Government Kazakh aircraft.

Russia:

Adler: /
Alushta:
Arkhangelsk: / /
Bryansk: /
Velikiy Novgorod:
Vladivostok: /
Vladimir: /
Voronezh: / /
Gelendzhik: /
Grozny: /
Ekaterinburg: /
Zheleznovodsk:
Izhevsk: /
Irkutsk:
Yoshkar-Ola: /
Kazan: /
Koenigsberg: /
Korsakov:
Kostroma: /
Krasnoyarsk: / / /
Magas: /
Magnitogorsk:
Makhachkala: /
Mikhailovsk:
Nizhny Novgorod: /
Nizhny Tagil:
Novorossiysk:: /
Novosibirsk:
Omsk: / / / / /
Orenburg: /
Penza: /
Petrozavodsk: /
Pskov: / /
Rostov: / /