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Astana A 21st century city
Sci-fi feel: Visitors to the Central Asian city might feel like theyâve arrived on a ifferent planet, as in an episode of Star Trek
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Sci-fi feel:: Visitors to the Central Asian city might feel like theyâve arrived on a ifferent planet, as in an episode of Star Trek. (Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan) (Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan)
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span class="inline inline-center">Sci-fi feel: Visitors to the Central Asian city might feel like they've arrived on a ifferent planet, as in an episode of Star Trek. (Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan)
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is a futuristic city ' and the epitome of modern architecture.
The city is just 17 years old. Kazakhstan, a nation sandwiched between China and Russia, only joined the comity of nations in 1991.
Entering Astana is like entering a different world ' or even a different planet, as in an episode of Star Trek. The city itself is full of surprises and mysteries.
Located on the banks of the Ishim River, Astana is clean and built according to a master plan. In fact, construction is ongoing. Colors and lights on buildings are arranged to created striking views from many angles.
'Astana is really a beautiful and modern city,' Tanska Malgorzata, a Polish diplomat, told The Jakarta Post in Astana recently. 'People are nice and it is very safe.'
However, there is one thing that most residents do not like: the weather.
'When I first arrived in Astana, it was a big problem for me to cope with the extreme cold, but now I am adjusted to it,' Malgorzata said.
Astana is the coldest capital city in the world, after Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Temperatures can plunge to as low as -50 degrees Celsius in winter, making the city a paradise for people who love snow and winter games.
The best time to visit Astana is in the summer. 'In summer, the weather is very pleasant,' Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Indonesia, Askhat T. Orazbay, told the Post.
Kazakhstan declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Soviet Union. As the nation's benefited from windfall profits from oil, gas and growing economic might; Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev decided that crowded Almaty city was not suitable as a capital.
Some of the best architects in the world were then tapped to build this beautiful Astana city.
'Our president moved our capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997. In a short time, it has grown like a giant. Now Astana, home to some one million people, is the most modern city of our times,' Orazbay said.
The 97-meter-tall Bayterek Tower, which resembles Jakarta's National Monument (Monas), is a visible landmark in the city's skyline.
The tower features a globe, symbolizing a Kazakh legend of a golden egg nestled on top of the tree of life. More than 3 million people visit the tower every year.
'It's a must-see place in Astana. It's our version of the Eiffel Tower,' said Azamat Kaiyr, an official at Kazakhstan's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Behind Bayterek Tower is the 80-meter-tall Akorda Presidential Palace, which resembles the White House in Washington. Sitting on the banks of the Ishim River, It is a beautiful building which has a blue and gold dome topped with a spire. Between Bayterek and the Presidential Palace, there is a park filled with colorful flowers and water fountains.
Another landmark of Astana is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a 60-meter-tall glass pyramid with an elevator that travels at an angle along the building's side.
'I never saw a lift going like this,' Dawood Ibrahim, a tourist from the United Arab Emirates, said.
Astana also boasts a shopping mall shaped like a tent. Designed by world-famous British architect Norman Foster, the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center is the biggest shopping mall in Astana. The name means 'Royal Marquee'. It is also the world's largest tent.
Astana has its Central Concert Hall, which can accommodate 3,500. It's another architectural milestone. The modern hall, which looks like a budding flower when viewed from the top of a nearby building, was laid out by pioneering Italian designer Nicoletti Manfredi.
Despite its Communist past, most of Kazakhstan's 17 million residents are Muslims. Like Indonesia, Kazakhstan is a pluralistic country with strong secular credentials.
With the help of the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa, Astana built the Nur-Astana Mosque, the second largest in Central Asia. The mosque's height of 40 meters represents that age of Muhammad of when he received his divine revelations, and the height of its minarets are 63 meters, Muhammad's age at his death. It can accommodate 7,000 worshippers.
In Astana, most of the buildings ' which come in different shapes and colors ' and the Astana International Airport, were designed by famous Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa.
Despite these attractions, Astana has not yet obtained a place on the global tourism map. But it has all the potential to emerge as a major tourist hub in the coming years.
In 2012, 4.8 million foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan. This number may be doubled in coming years, when Astana hosts the Expo 2017.
'We will be spending some US$10 billion to improve infrastructure in Astana and the venue for Expo 2017,' Kazakhstan Vice Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev said in Astana recently.
First time a Central Asian, as well as a former Soviet Union, country will be hosting such a big event.
Next year, according to Kazakhstan's Vice Sports and Culture Minister Marat Azilkhanov, Astana will host the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Kazakhstan's Almaty is now competing with Beijing to host the Winter Olympics in 2022.
' Photos by JP/Veeramalla Anjaiah
