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

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

more beautiful landscapes

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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

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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

The territory in the south-eastern part of Kazakhstan from ancient times is called Zhetisu, which means in Kazakh “seven rivers”. The reason for that is the large number of rivers flowing down the slopes of the Tien Shan and Dzhungar Alatau Mountains.

A lot of historical sites along with beautiful nature make this region a paradise for tourists. In this land first state formation of Kazakhs (Kazakh Khanate) originated.

fly over the southeastern Kazakhstan

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In 1997, the capital of Kazakhstan was moved to Astana from Almaty to take advantage of Astana more favorable location as it is closer to Russia and the risk of earthquake is much less.

Nowadays, the city is becoming a new cosmopolitan western-style city with skyscrapers and offices of intercontinental oil corporations.

Famous Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa worked on the master plan of the city. Many of the buildings were designed by famous architect Norman Foster. Photos by Petr Ushanov

enjoy the modern architecture of Astana

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Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of about 1.5 million people known as the “Southern Capital”.

The city is located in the center of the Eurasian continent, in the south-east of Kazakhstan, at the foot of the mountains of Trans-Ili Alatau – the most northern ridge of Tien Shan mountains at an altitude of 600 to 1650 meters above sea level. Photos by Max Zolotuhin for voxpopuli.kz

Almaty from above

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