Altyn-Emel is a state national natural park located in the valley of the Ili River on the territory of Almaty region.

The park was established on April 10, 1996. Among the main purposes of the park are the preservation of the unique natural complex, archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, rare and endangered species of plants and animals, the development of eco-tourism.

take a walk in the realm of clay

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Lake Tuzkol, located in the south-east of Almaty region, is the saltiest mountain lake in Kazakhstan. It is a large lake – the length is 5 km, the width in some places is up to 1 km.

The salinity of the water varies by season and can reach values ​​comparable with the water salinity of the Dead Sea in Israel or the Great Salt Lake in the United States.

amazing nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

The mausoleum on the grave of the poet and preacher Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is located in the city of Turkestan in South Kazakhstan region. It is the central object of the historical and cultural museum-reserve “Azret Sultan.”

The mausoleum was built on the burial site of the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, who had great authority among Muslims in the region and had an impact on Islam in Central Asia. The photos were taken by Ilia Afanasieff.

beautiful historical and architectural monument

Tags: Turkestan city

The second part of photos taken by landscape photographer David Köster during his visit to Kazakhstan in 2014.

David Köster is a travel and landscape photographer based in Germany. In his work he combines haunting perspectives with an atmospheric imagery. For his artistic photographs he has been awarded with several international prizes.

Granite basin in Bektau Ata

Kazakhstan fall

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The underground mosque of Shakpak Ata is a unique place, one of the most impressive monuments of Mangystau, the peninsula located on the east coast of the Caspian Sea (Mangystau region).

This mosque is one of the most ancient monuments of Islamic architecture. Also, it has some links with cave temples of ancient religions: Zoroastrianism (fire worship), Hinduism, Buddhism and early Christianity. The photos were taken by Denis Frantsouzov.

unique mosque

Tags: Mangystau oblast

Kazakhstan has a great variety of unique places attracting people from all over the world. You can enjoy amazing landscapes and take a lot of beautiful pictures.

For example, landscape photographer David Köster visited Kazakhstan for the first time in 2014. He was looking for spectacular, but not too mainstream nature locations and he was overwhelmed by the natural beauty of Kazakhstan. Let’s look at a small selection of his pictures captured during the trip.

Tuzkoel Salt Lake

autumn in Kazakhstan

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Astana became the capital of Kazakhstan relatively recently (December 10, 1997). After that, the city experienced unprecedented in the former Soviet Union countries growth. It became the second largest city in Kazakhstan.

A lot of interesting and unusual architectural objects were erected in Astana in recent years. The population increased from 270 thousand in 1996 to 829 thousand in 2014. The following beautiful photos were taken in Astana by Thierry Andreoli.

Astana Opera

walk around Astana

Tags: Astana city

Despite the existing stereotype of Kazakhstan as a country of steppes, this land is rich in a variety of landscapes.

Beautiful nature of Kazakhstan looks especially picturesquely in autumn, when you can see a real riot of colors. Photos by Gregory Bedenko

stunning scenery

Tags: landscapes

What a beautiful view! It is Tuzkol Lake, located in the east of Almaty region (1950 meters above sea level), the saltiest mountain lake in Kazakhstan.

The salinity of the lake varies by season. It can reach almost the same salinity as in the Dead Sea in Israel or the Great Salt Lake in the United States. Tuzkol Lake on Google Maps. Photo by Sergey Terekhov

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Ustyurt Plateau is a desert and a plateau located in the west of Central Asia on the territory of Kazakhstan (Mangystau region), Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, between Mangyshlak and the Gulf of Kara-Bogaz-Gol in the west, the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya River delta in the east.

What a stunningly beautiful place! Photo by Ne Horoshiy

Tags: landscapes · Mangystau oblast