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Astana

General Information about Astana

Astana is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, located in Asia. Astana is situated in the central north of the nation on the Ishim River.Siberians from Osak founded a fortress at the site of Astana in the mid 1820's. The city was then known as Akmolinsk. During the 20th century the city was a mojor railway junction and city. This lasted until the Russian Civil War. Astana officially became the capital city of independent Kazakhstan in 1997 and now has a population of over 600,000 people.

There are many attractions and places of intersest to visit in Astana such as the Baiterek Tower, Khan Shatyry, the Atameken Map of Kazakhstan, The President's Museum of Kazakhstan, the Astana Central National Mosque, the Islamic Centre and the Roman Catholic Cathedral. Astana also features and Oceanarium, a large aquarium home to marine life.

The Astana Central Mosque, or Nur-Astana Mosque is the main mosque of Kazakhstan. The Mosque was designed by a Lebanese architect and construction started in 2002, aided by a Turkish company. The Astana national mosque consists of four minarets and many domes which were constructed from stone, glass, concrete, steel, aulcobond and granite.

The Bayterek Tower is a relatively new monument in Astana which symbolises the new status of the city. Bayterek, which is Kazakh for 'tall poplar tree', also embodies a legend about a bird of magic happiness who laid an egg between two branches of a poplar tree. The structure is 97 metres tall and features a large gilt sphere symbolizing the egg at the top. From here there is a perfect view of much of the newly built Astana.

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