In late August, large wildfire occurred in the Ile-Alatau National Park located near Almaty in the close proximity to the “Medeo” sports complex. The flames swept over twenty hectares of mountain slopes.

Large wildfire in the natural park was predicted a year ago – then the environmentalists, the rescuers and the authorities were deciding what to do with the trees felled by storm.

Recently, the works to dispose dead trees were carried out in these places but unfortunately not all the fallen trees were removed. Photos by Grigoriy Bedenko.

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Tags: Almaty oblast · fire

July 6, 2012 the largest mosque in Kazakhstan and Central Asia “Hazrat Sultan” was opened in the capital city of the country Astana.

The building is constructed in the classic Islamic style using traditional Kazakh ornaments. The mosque standing on the right bank of the Yesil River is located near the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, and a monument “Kazakh Eli”. Photos by voxpopuli.kz

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Tags: Astana city · mosques

One hundred fifteen athletes from Kazakhstan took part in twenty sports at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In total, the national team won 13 medals (7 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze).

Gold medals were won in the following disciplines: cycling (Alexander Vinokourov), weightlifting (Zulfiya Chinshanlo, Maya Maneza, Svetlana Podobedova, Ilya Ilyin), athletics (Olga Rypakova), boxing (Serik Sapiyev).

Thanks to all the athletes for their efforts!

Tags: athletes · Olympic games

Kazakhstan is usually associated with the endless steppes and semi-deserts but the south-eastern part of the country is bordered by Tien-Shan mountain range.

This region is known for its breathtaking landscapes, beautiful flora and fauna. Photos by Gregory Bedenko

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Tags: landscapes · Southern Kazakhstan

Almaty (Russian spelling – Alma-Ata) is Kazakhstan’s largest city. It is also known as the “Southern Capital” of the country. According to officials the population of Almaty is about 1.4 million people.

Unofficially (with the migrant workers) the population of the city is more than 2 million people (about 13% of the total population of Kazakhstan).

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Tags: Almaty city · night

The tram was opened in Almaty on November 7, 1937. At best times, the number of routes reached ten, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union trams as public transport became unprofitable and the number of routes was rapidly reduced.

Since 1999, there are only two routes that are served by one depot, which is the oldest one, located at the intersection of Ahmed Baitursynov Street (former Cosmonauts Street) and Gogol Street.

Tags: Almaty city · trams

The construction of subway (metro) in Almaty began back in 1988 and was conducted irregularly because of the finance problems. Finally, December 1, 2011 the first line of the subway was opened.

This is the first subway in Kazakhstan, the second in Central Asia (after Tashkent subway) and sixteenth in the former Soviet Union. Hours: daily from 06:30 to 23:30. The total length of the two lines will be about 45 km.

Tags: Almaty city

Taban-Karagai is an area of summer pastures, located south of the Assy plateau in Almaty region of Kazakhstan.

This area has majestic nature with almost no traces of human presence. The pastures are at altitude over 2,000 meters above sea level. Due to the fact that it rains here almost every day, the meadows are covered with succulent grasses. Photos by Constantine Kikvidze

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Tags: Almaty oblast · horses · landscapes

Three days ago, on July 1, landing vehicle of “Soyuz TMA-03M” spacecraft successfully landed in the steppes in Karaganda region of Kazakhstan.

The capsule was carrying three people: Russian Oleg Kononenko, Dutchman Andre Kuipers, and American Don Pettit. The crew spent over 6 months on orbit.

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Bektau-Ata is a picturesque mountainous area, located in the middle of the Kazakhstan steppe, about 70 kilometers north of the town of Balkhash (Karaganda region).

The area has a radius of about 5-7 km, and its flora is very different from the surrounding steppe. Photos by Ilia Afanasieff

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Tags: Balkhash city · Karaganda oblast · landscapes