Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan and the real pride of local residents. This city received the capital status at the end of 1997. It is located in the middle of a sultry boundless steppe. The Ishim River flows through its territory. Having become the youngest capital in the world, Astana is getting prettier day by day, changing its appearance literally before our eyes. For tourists, a trip to the main city of Kazakhstan is an amazing opportunity to learn and see with their own eyes a lot of new and interesting things.
The visiting card of Astana is "Baiterek" - an original architectural structure located in the heart of the city. Its name, translated from Kazakh, means “tall poplar”. The monument really looks like a tree. It is a metal structure 105 meters high, at the very top of which there is a huge rotating ball made of unique glass, which changes its color depending on the degree of illumination. Local residents consider this building to be a symbol of renewal of the whole Kazakhstan. Visit the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation - another wonder of Astana, designed by the Englishman Norman Foster. By the way, "Baiterek" is also his creation. It is a 62-meter glass pyramid that stands on a hill. At its base there is a magnificent opera hall, the upper part of the pyramid is given over to the hall of confessions. There is also a winter garden, a university, an exhibition hall and a museum. It is noteworthy that inside the Palace, elevators run diagonally, and not up and down. Be sure to go to the large shopping center of the city - "Khan-Shatyr". It is a gigantic tent, the majestic dome of which rises above the capital at a height of 150 meters. Inside the tent there are shops, cinemas, restaurants, and a water park. There is even a mini golf course, a monorail, and a botanical garden. At the highest level of the center, there is a lagoon with white sand, which was specially delivered to Astana from the Maldives. It's a full house on weekends. The townspeople come to this center with their whole families and spend the whole day within its walls. There is also an oceanarium in Astana. It is located in the entertainment center "Duman". There you can see the inhabitants of the seas: dangerous piranhas, sea stars, giant sea bass and even sharks. This is a real piece of the sea in the middle of the steppe. It is always crowded in the ethnographic park, where you can "walk" the entire territory of Kazakhstan in a few hours. All the delights of the republic here fit into an area of almost 2 hectares. Hills, mountains, lakes, forests and cities with their sights - everything in the park is presented on the map in a reduced size. On one of the central streets of the city there is a huge flying saucer, which, as a UFO should be, is made of the most modern materials. The building of the circus has such a cosmic appearance, in the arena of which the best circus performers of Kazakhstan perform. It is a crime to be in Astana and not go to local catering establishments. Be sure to taste real lagman, fragrant manti and hearty beshbarmak.
