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Asia central asia Kazakhstan

Almaty

Stories and Photos from my travel to the former capital and the biggest city in Kazakhstan.

Destination 》Asia 》Central Asia 》Kazakhstan 》Almaty

Year Visited: 2019 – August

I visited Almaty during my 3 weeks journey through Kazakhstan. The overnight train journey from Shymkent to Almaty was a comfortable one. The fellow passengers in my compartment were very helpful. Though there was a slight language issue, we were still able to communicate.

Almaty is a former capital and the largest city in Kazakhstan. The city was formerly known as Alma-Ata, which means “father of apples.” Almaty is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, established between 1000 and 900 BCE. It was a major trading post on the ancient Silk Road, but like Tashkent, very little remains from its ancient past. Almaty is now a modern city, rivalling any European city. It is a great place to set up as a base for your travels, offering day trips to beautiful lakes, mountains, and canyons. The city itself has many interesting churches and markets.

Welcome to Alma-Ata (Almaty); A beautiful Manhole Cover with City’s old Name.
A view of the Almaty Opera House, with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop, from my hotel window.
Watching the sunset from Kok Tobe, the highest point in the city of Almaty standing on a 1100 m hill. During the weekend, this place is lively and crowded with locals enjoying their evenings.
The Ascension Cathedral is an old Russian Orthodox cathedral, dating back over one hundred years. Made of wood without any nails, it is believed to be one of the ten tallest wooden buildings in the world. 
Another view of The Ascension Cathedral. 
The St. Nicholas Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church with an impressive structure featuring ornate gold domes. This is believed to be the oldest existing structure in the city. 
Akimat House of Almaty, The official Government Building of Almaty.
The main building of Kazakh-British Technical University. The building was originally intended to serve the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR. Constructed in 1957, it is one of the most historic and iconic buildings in the city.
Almaty, as a former major trading post on the Silk Road, has many lively bazaars that sell a variety of spices.
Indian Dinner and Beer with my traveling buddies in Almaty.
Kumys (Kumis,Koumiss) is the traditional beverage of the Kyrgyz, Mongols and Kazakhs.It is made from fermented mare’s milk.

Using Almaty as my home base, I explored many attractions around the region as a day trip or multi-day trip. For this reason, I recommend spending more than a week in this city. During my time in Almaty, I visited the following locations:
A day trip to Big Almaty Lake.
A two-day trip to Charyn National Park, visiting Charyn Canyon and the Bartogay Lake.
A three-day trip to Kolsai Lakes National Park, visiting Kolsai Lake and Kaindy Lake.

After three plus weeks in this wonderful country, it was time to say good bye and move to next country in Central Asia. Took a direct Marshrutka from Almaty to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Window on The World's avatar

By Window on The World

In May 2017, 23 days before I was going to complete 50 years, grabbed an opportunity and took an early retirement.. Picked up a backpack and traveling ever since.. Love to travel around the world, experience different culture, local cuisine & drinks .. and take pictures.. so far been to 108 countries and still counting...

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