Soviet Legacy and Beyond: The Historical Monuments of Kazakhstan
Almaty is a historic city with gigantic population, so our journey begins with its architecture. You will visit stunning Soviet architecture: Hotel Kazakhstan, Palace of the Republic, Kazakh State Circus, Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Hardware-studio complex Kazakh TV and you will see the even older building – Ascension Cathedral. The next steps in the itinerary will move you to the north of our beautiful country which is Talan Towers in Astana and Water Tower with Residence of Abylai Khan in Petropavlovsk – probably the most historically rich city of Kazakhstan.
Almaty is the main city of the buildings in the itinerary. It was the capital of our country for a lot of years before Astana and has a history of dozens of generations. The city is old and heavily populated at the same time which is its main feature. Astana is the current capital city of Kazakhstan and is a young city. It is quite modern and very futuristic. It’s the place where the heads of our government are mainly located. Petropavlovsk is a historic city. It is heavily connected to the Russian culture yet still is a great value to our country.
What to eat
The national dish of Kazakhstan is besbarmak. Filled with meat and noodles. Hearty soups and Kazakhstan’s famous horsemeat sausage, called kazy, are also used here. This dish is eaten with your hands because the translation “besbarmak” means five fingers.
Kazakh dairy products occupy a special place in the national cuisine. They primarily consist of fermented milk products and dishes that call for these ingredients. Popular ones: Kurt – dried balls of sour milk and salt, which are 2-5 centimeters in diameter. Kaymak – fresh cream very similar to sour cream.
Baursak is small chunks, of yeast dough that are fried in oil. A very traditional Kazakhstan food, baursak is so central to local cuisine that a well-known proverb states: “Besbarmak-kuyrdak-baursak, and you can do without the rest!”It is like a donut, but without sugar and sweet glaze.
Local customs, tradition and festivities
1)The main tradition and feature of Kazakhs is hospitality. In Kazakh society, there is an unofficial law voiced in ancient times, which says “Meet a guest as God’s messenger”.Hospitality is considered a sacred duty in the Kazakh society.
2)Suyinshi is a custom according to which a traveler or any other person who brought home a good message or news, receives a valuable gift from the owners! Before telling good news a person says ‘Suyunshi’.It means that he or she has something great to tell.
3) Nauryz is one of the biggest holiday in Kazakhstan!It is celebrated on the day of the spring equinox, March 22. On that day, Guests are hosted in beautiful yurts with the traditional Nauryz kozhe dish made of seven traditional ingredients. People respecting this nearly month-long holiday forgive each others’ debts and offences.
International Educational Corporation
University Team
Kanafina Assel
My names is Assel. I’m 18 years old and am a second year student of the architecture faculty in Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I am very interested in architecture of the world and am excited to spread information about beauty of my own country with people too.
Abuova Dana
