Issyk is a lake located at an altitude of 1756 meters in Issyk gorge of Trans-Ili Alatau, about 70 km east of Almaty. The lake was formed about 8-10 thousand years ago in a landslide.

Originally, Issyk length was 1850 meters, width – 500 meters, depth – 50-79 meters. In 1959, the park with hotel and restaurant was opened here. Lake Issyk on Google Maps. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

picturesque mountain lake

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Trans-Ili Alatau is a mountain range in the north-west of Tien Shan (on the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) extending for 360 km with the prevailing heights – 4000-4600 meters.

Almaty, also known as the southern capital of Kazakhstan, is located in the northern foothills of Trans-Ili Alatau. Here you can find famous sports complex Medeo and alpine ski resort Chimbulak. Photos by SkorovS

beautiful winter scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Beautiful photos of Southern Kazakhstan (Almaty region) taken by Denis Frantsouzov

picturesque nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Kazakhstan nature is rich in picturesque scenery. Just look at these wonderful pictures taken by Constantine Kikvidze

amazing scenery

Tags: landscapes

A lot of people think that Kazakhstan is one huge flat steppe, but there are places in the country that are true natural wonders, for example, the tract of Boszhira, a mountain range located on the Ustyurt plateau in south-western Kazakhstan.

So far, this place is little known and inaccessible to tourists. Everything is white here – canyons, peaks, mountains. Distance from Zhanaozen to Boszhira – 148 km, from Aktau to Boszhira – 298 km. Boszhira location on Google Maps. Photos by Ilia Afanasieff

great nature views

Tags: landscapes · Mangystau oblast

Charyn Canyon is a beautiful natural monument located in Almaty region, to the east of Almaty. It is often compared to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. Surprisingly, from all the sides the canyon is surrounded by the usual steppe.

The most interesting place to visit is the Castle Valley (about 2 km length, width – 20-80 meters). Bizarre shapes of the rocks resembling castles attract tourists from all over the world. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

amazing scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

The Big Almaty Lake is located in one of the gorges originating from the southern outskirts of Almaty. On the way to the lake, you will drive a winding road passing mudflow areas and two “ecological” posts. To pass them, you need to pay a small amount of money.

At an altitude of 2500 meters, you will find the lake itself. Actually, it doesn’t look big. The lake is not filled with water because of the possible dam failure and mudflow that may hit the city. The Big Almaty Lake location on Google Maps. Photos by Vladimir Varfolomeev

beautiful mountain landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Beautiful series of photos depicting the scenic areas located in the eastern part of Almaty region.

In particular, you can see Boguty – unusually bright red rocks. It looks like you are standing on another planet, for example on Mars at a time when it still had water on the surface. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

magnificent nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

We would like to wish you a Happy New Year 2014!

In the coming year, we wish you a lot of happy days and good luck in all your endeavors!

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Before the adoption of Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, medieval Turkic peoples, ancestors of Kazakhs, had their ancient religion – Tengrism. It is a religion based on a belief in the Creator, presumably originated in the late 2nd – early 1st millennium BC.

The cult of Tengri is the cult of blue sky – the Eternal Sky, a place of permanent habitation of the Creator. Blue color of Kazakhstan flag meaning infinite sky over the earth and the people is the reference to this religion.

This video can help you to become imbued with the idea of the Eternal Sky that inspired the ancestors of Kazakhs.

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