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.
Tags: Almaty city · metro · subway
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The views from one of Almaty’s tallest buildings
2 Comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities, Photos
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.
Tags: Almaty city
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The tour of Almaty Zoo
No comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Entertainment, Nature, Video
The total area of Almaty Zoo is about 21 hectares. Abundant and varied wildlife of Kazakhstan is presented by a lot of species, in particular, such as Siberian stag, argali, wolf, golden eagle and others.
Animals from almost all continents of the Earth found their home in Almaty Zoo. White and Himalayan bears, tigers, jaguars, Persian and Far East leopards; elephants, zebras, yaks, deer; American condors, vultures; snakes and crocodiles – 509 species in total – are living there. The zoo is especially proud of a pair of white lions.
Address: Almaty, Esenberlina Str., 166. Opening hours: Daily, 10:00-17:00 in winter, 9:00-19:00 in summer.
Tags: Almaty city · Zoo
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Semipalatinsk nuclear test site – 20 years after the closure
1 Comment · Posted by Alex Smirnov in History, Nature, Photos, Video
Not so long ago Kazakhstan commemorated the 20th anniversary of closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. It is located on the border of East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar and Karaganda oblasts, about 130 km northwest of Semey city.
The main attraction of the area is “atomic” lake, which is located at the test site “Balapan”. It was formed in the explosion of a thermonuclear warhead of 140 kilotons of power in 1965.
The diameter of the lake is 500 meters; depth from the surface to the bottom is about 80 meters. In a similar way the Soviet strategists planned to build water reservoirs in arid regions of the Soviet Union. Photos by Grigory Bedenko for voxpopuli.kz
Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast · Karaganda oblast · Pavlodar oblast · Semipalatinsk nuclear test site
A couple of nice time-lapse videos of Kazakhstan new capital city Astana located in the steppe region of the country and former capital, largest city of Kazakhstan Almaty surrounded by the mountains.
Tags: Almaty city · Astana city · time-lapse
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Puppet fair at the Central Exhibition Hall of Almaty
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Art, Entertainment, Photos
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.
Tags: Almaty city · puppet fair
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Kazakh people national games
No comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Culture, People, Video
The Kazakhs are ethnicity and nation, indigenous and general population of Kazakhstan. Kazakhs are also living in nearby regions of China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia.
At present Kazakhstan is experiencing a period of national revival and the revival of national statehood. During the Soviet period Kazakhs’ traditions were proclaimed the relics of the past and were methodically eradicated. The following set of videos introduces you to the traditional games of Kazakhs.
Kazakh people national games – Intro
Tags: Kazakhs · national games
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The beauty of Dzungarian Alatau mountain range
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Nature, Photos, Travel
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.
Tags: Dzungarian Alatau · Eastern Kazakhstan · mountains
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Missile firing at Sary-Shagan testing ground
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Army, Photos
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.
Tags: Karaganda oblast · missiles · Sary-Shagan · testing ground · Zhambyl oblast
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National traditions of Kazakhs
No comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Culture, People, Society, Video
