The tradition of hunting with tame hawks and falcons appeared very long ago. Today it is preserved only in a few countries including Kazakhstan. February 12, near the village of Nura (Almaty oblast), the 4th hunting tournament of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held.

There were competitions in several disciplines, starting with grades for the appearance and quality of equipment of a hunter, checking out how well the bird was trained, and finally the main event – hunting for hares and foxes. The winner was determined by the results of this last contest. Photos by Svyatoslav Antonov.

(more…)

Tags: Almaty oblast · falcons · hawks · hunt

Almaty, the ex-capital of Kazakhstan, is situated in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan at the foot of Zailiski Ala-Tau mountain system at an elevation of 2,300-3,000 feet (700-900 meters).

Almaty is called a garden city. It has about 80 square meters of green plantations for each of its million-odd residents. Photos by Maksim Zolotukhin from voxpopuli.kz

(more…)

Tags: Almaty city · bird's eye views

Pavlodar is a city located in the northeastern part of Kazakhstan, 450 km northeast from Astana and 405 km southeast from Omsk (Russia). The climate of the region is sharply continental, the winters are very cold and the summers are hot.

The following beautiful photos of the city were taken by Legostin Vyacheslav this month when the weather was really cold (about minus 40 degrees Celsius).

(more…)

Tags: frost · Pavlodar city

We wish you happiness and luck in the coming year of 2012!

Tags: 2012 · Happy New Year

In the city of Almaty on Thursday, December 1, the first branch of the subway was opened. The opening ceremony was attended by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The city authorities suggest that the subway will significantly improve the ecological situation in Almaty reducing the traffic on the streets. The first branch of Almaty subway has a length of eight and a half kilometers with seven stations.

The construction began in 1988. The main problems were the lack of funding and difficult geological situation. Almaty subway is the first in Kazakhstan and second in Central Asia. Photos by Vyacheslav Legostin.

(more…)

Tags: Almaty city · metro · subway

Almaty (Russian spelling Alma-Ata), formerly (1855-1921) Verny, the ex-capital of Kazakhstan, is situated in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan (Almaty oblast) at the foot of Zailiski Ala-Tau mountain system at an elevation of 2,300-3,000 feet (700-900 m). Almaty is called a garden city having 80 sq.m. of green plantations for each of its million-odd residents.

The following photos of the city were taken from the seventeenth floor of one of the tallest buildings of Almaty by Ispanec.

(more…)

Tags: Almaty city

The Central Exhibition Hall of Almaty opened puppet fair “Kykli.KZ” (“Puppets.KZ”), which runs until October 31. It brings together artists and craftsmen, studios, clubs, fans having a great interest in the creation of puppets, regardless of age and the presence of arts education. Photos by ankona.

Hours: 10:00-18:00. Address: Kazakhstan, Almaty, Zheltoksan Str., 137.

(more…)

Tags: Almaty city · puppet fair

Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range located in the eastern part of the country on Kazakhstan-China border between Ili River and Alakol Lake.

The mountain range was named after the nearby desert. The total length of Dzungarian Alatau is about 450 km., width from 50 to 90 km, maximum altitude 4464 m on Mount Besbaskan. Photos by Grigoriy Bedenko.

(more…)

Tags: Dzungarian Alatau · Eastern Kazakhstan · mountains

Sary-Shagan is a military testing ground in Kazakhstan. It is located to the northwest and west of Lake Balkhash in the desert Betpak-Dala on the territories of Karaganda and Zhambyl oblasts.

Sary-Shagan is the first and only in Eurasia ground for developing and testing anti-missile weapons. Military units of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan have regular training activities there. Photos by Grigoriy Bedenko.

(more…)

Tags: Karaganda oblast · missiles · Sary-Shagan · testing ground · Zhambyl oblast

Almaty oblast is one of the most beautiful and fascinating regions of Kazakhstan. Nature here is so amazing and full of contrasts that there are almost no repeating landscapes.

During one day trip you can visit the snow-capped mountains, wander through the pine forests and after a couple of hours journey walk among the dunes and sands of the endless steppes, feel the power and strength of ancient canyons and get lost in a maze of limestone mountains. Photos by Constantin Kikvidze from voxpopuli.kz.

(more…)

Tags: Almaty oblast · horses · landscapes · mountains · steppes