This summer (July 6), Astana celebrated the Day of the City. 15 years ago, the city officially became the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At this festive day, people living in the city and numerous guests enjoyed two main shows. Photos by Petr Ushanov

more colorful photos

Tags: Astana city

In this short movie you can see some fragments of the Kazakh national game “Kokpar”. It was the training of mounted warriors that helped to improve fighting skills in a real fight.

The shooting took place in southern Kazakhstan, near the cities of Turkestan and Sauran. The latter was destroyed in the 14th century by the armies of Genghis Khan and Kokands. Sauran was the largest center of its time, with the water supply system, paved streets, architecture.

Tags: South Kazakhstan oblast · Turkestan city

These wonderful autumn photos were taken in the mountainous part of the East Kazakhstan region – the western part of the mountain range of the South Altai.

Up to a height of 1400-1500 meters you can see steppe landscapes; larch forests reach a height of 2100-2200 meters; in the highlands – subalpine and alpine meadows. Also, there are more than 180 glaciers. Photos by Grigoriy Bedenko for voxpopuli.kz

fairy tale pictures

Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast · landscapes

Charyn Canyon is a canyon along the Charyn River located about 200 km east of Almaty, close to the border with China. It is the part of the Charyn National Park.

This canyon is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old. The height of the steep canyon walls is about 150-300 meters. Most interesting place for tourists is the so-called Castle Valley. Photos by Dmitry Chistoprudov

picturesque mountainous landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Borovoe (Burabai on Kazakh language) is a year-round climatic resort opened in Akmola region in 1910. The resort is situated 250 km north of Astana. This beautiful place attracts a lot of locals and tourists.

The resort is located at an altitude of about 480 meters, in a pine forest. Burabai is called “the pearl of Kazakhstan” and “Kazakhstan’s Switzerland”. Borovoe location on Google Maps. Photos by Petr Ushanov

more picturesque landscapes

Tags: Akmola oblast · landscapes

The second part of beautiful landscapes of Dzhungar Alatau region located in Almaty oblast. Photos by Konstantin Pastbin

more beautiful landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Dzhungar Alatau is a mountainous system located in the south-eastern part of Kazakhstan, stretching from the west – southwest to the east – northeast for almost 400 kilometers along the border with China.

It is a beautiful region of several geographical landscapes. It should be noted that these places are close enough to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, and at the same time are rarely visited by tourists. Photos by Konstantin Pastbin

explore the mountainous landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Subway in Almaty is the first subway in Kazakhstan, the second in Central Asia (after Tashkent subway) and sixteenth in the former Soviet Union countries. Subway has modern trains; interiors of the stations are made in national style.

July 9, 2013 (after 1 year and 8 months after opening), Almaty subway met the 10-millionth passenger. It is open daily, from 06:30 to 23:30. Currently, there is one line with seven stations. Photos by Dmitry Chistoprudov

Let’s go down in Almaty subway

Tags: Almaty city

Karaganda regional mosque is one of the largest mosques in Kazakhstan. Its capacity is 4000 people. The mosque is located in ethnic park named “The 10th Anniversary of Independence.”

The opening of the mosque took place November 20, 2011. It is the largest place of worship in central Kazakhstan, the height of the four minarets is 51 meters.

Let’s take a look inside the mosque

Tags: Karaganda city · mosques

The main source of economic growth in Kazakhstan is the extraction of various natural resources, including coal. Coal mine “Molodezhny” located near Karaganda is among the largest coal producers of the country.

Annual production is about 7 million tons of coal a year. BelAZ trucks (capacity up to 130 tons) are used to transport coal. 1,150 people are working here; the average wage is about $ 300 a month. Coal mine “Molodezhny” location on Google Maps. Photos by Vadim Makhorov

How coal is mined in Kazakhstan

Tags: Karaganda oblast