Editor’s note: In the first part of a series, neweurasia’s Nuraika shares some incredible photographs of Astana, including a peak inside the Khan-Shatyr complex, the ambitious architectural project of British architect Norman Foster. “Astana strikes the imagination with its combination of impressive buildings and, at the same time, emptiness,” writes Nuraika. [Translation of Nuraika’s post (RUS).]

Kazakhstan’s northern capital is clean, beautiful and somewhat ornate. Recently, for the first time, I visited this city of winds and romantic moods. The first thing that struck me was the clear, open sky, which gives the impression that one is closer to it here.

As a foreigner (from Kyrgyzstan), I found Astana closer to my heart and more familiar than my beloved southern capital (Almaty). The clean air and the wind that prowls the streets really reminded me of the Issyk-Kul region, where breathing feels just as easy. The Ishim River makes Astana all the more familiar for Kyrgyzstanis.

Photos by Nuraiym

The city of bridges and romanticism. It is so unusual to see people fishing in the center of a city.

Astana strikes the imagination with its combination of impressive buildings and, at the same time, emptiness. As a young city, it still has large undeveloped spaces, which probably create that feeling of closeness to the sky. The horizon is wider, the eye isn’t bounded by anything and it seems like the sky fills everything around you.

View of Astana from the tallest building on the right bank, Grand Alatau. Photo: Jolybolgish.

Photo by Sabit Naukenov

The trees are still young. In a few years, Astana will look different yet again. When talking about the city, one cannot forget about the weather. The capital is extremely windy and, according to residents, temperatures in the winter drop as low as -42 C (Wikipedia has a more detailed data table). However, our group had no trouble with the weather. The sky was clear, it was summer, and the wind was not a problem.

Photos by Sabit Naukenov

The position of the Khan Shatyry in relation to the rest of the architectural complex is very interesting. If you stand right along the axis formed by the buildings, you notice that the Khan Shatyry spire points directly towards Baiterek.

Khan-Shatyr sounds a symbolic note in the composition of buildings erected along the Yesil River’s left bank. Beginning at the Kazak Eli (Kazakh People’s) monument and the Palace of Peace and Harmony, an imagined line threads a path through the Ak Orda presidential mansion to the Baiterek tower. The thread rises into the sky together with the silver needle of Khan-Shatyr, the tallest tent structure in the world.

- Centralasiaonline.

Photo by Sabit Naukenov

The ambitious project by British architect Norman Foster was commissioned to celebrate the 70th birthday of Kazakhstan’s president Nursultan Nazarbaev and the 12th anniversary of the city’s founding. The brand new shopping and entertainment complex attracts tourists and local residence. There is much to see there, including the breathtaking “Cosmodrome” ride, an entire floor of arcade games and simulators, lots of boutiques, a spa and a swimming pool.

Photo by Sabit Naukenov

I remember liking the “KazMunaiGaz” building behind the Lovers’ Park. According to KazGerStroi, “Everything here stimulates a romantic mood, like, for example “The First Kiss Bench,” or the “Kiss-and-Make-Up Bench.” The beautiful building with an arch reminded me of a gate leading to the world of architecture. The space between Khan Shatyry and Ak-Orda is also fun to explore.

According to Wikipedia, the local name for Baiterek is “Chupa-Chups.” Yet the monument named after the legendary popsicle that the locals showed me was a fountain…

To be continued…