It is no coincidence that this beautiful city at the bottom of the emerald Tien Shan Range is called “the garden city”. In the spring the city looks like a fairy tale when the southern suburbs swim in the blossom of the apple, apricot, and cherry orchards. The name Almaty comes from the word apple. Namely, this city is the motherland of the famous Almatinskiy aport.
Some sources confirm that in ancient times an Almaty post was located here on the Silk Road. This post was destroyed by the horde of Genghis Khan in XIII century. In 1854 Verniy city was erected near the ruins of the ancient city. In the years of Soviet system the city was renamed to Alma-Ata, and Alma-Ata was the capital of Kazakhstan between 1929 and 1997. In 1993 with the acceptance of the Constitution of the sovereign state, the former Verniy, then Alma-Ata was renamed to Almaty.
Almaty is geographically located at the northern flank of Zailiiskoye Alatau at 650-1200 meters above sea level. The city is located in a wide valley closed from three parts and protected by green solid woods. Almaty is the center of the Eurasian continent located in the south-east of the Republic of Kazakhstan at 77 degrees East longitude and 43 degrees north latitude, and at the bottom of Zailiiskoye Alatau mountains – the northern-most range of Tien Shan. It is on the same parallel as Gagry and Vladivostok.
The climate is strongly continental with lots of temperature variations not only in a year but also in a day. From a height of less than 500 m, the urban streets stretch northwards, to the steppe, and to the semi-desert bearing against the hot Prikaskelenskiye Moyunkumy. The cirques’ breathing is felt in the southern housing estates, in Medeu stow and Kamenskiy Plato at 1500 - 1700 meters above sea level. The fauna and flora of Zailiiskiy Alatau is rich and varied.
The suburbs of Almaty are the part of the Ile-Alatauskiy national park, which contains natural reserves and a natural park. Many uncommon birds and animals living here are in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. Among them is the snow leopard which decorates the coat of arms of Kazakhstan. At the bottom of the mountains crops, cucurbits crops, tobacco plantations, and vines mixes with orchards and berry-fields. More than 8 thousand hectares of the urban territory is covered by gardens and parks, squares and boulevards. Namely this city is the motherland of the famous Almatinskiy aport.
The area of the city is more than 170 km2 and it is located at the outflow of the ancient and young sediments of Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka Rivers and their feeders. The Mountain Rivers and lakes are the main sources of water to the city.
Almaty at the present time
In 1997 the capital of Kazakhstan was transferred to Astana by the Order of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev.
Almaty is the scientific, cultural, historical, industrial and financial center of the country. In 1997 the decision on the further development of the city as a business and financial center of the region was made. In 2006 the Law on the RFCA development was issued. The main sight of Kok-Tyube borders the city from the south. Kok-Tyube is 1070 meters high. There is an observation desk. It is the best place to have a panorama of the city at night.
Twenty-eight heroes - Panfilov Park. This place is famous for the Memorial of Honor, Memory Alley and Eternal Flame. In the Memory Alley there are 28 granite memorials with the names of 28 heroes-panfilovtsev who died in the Battle of Moscow during the World War II.
The Zenkov Cathedral is located in the Twenty-eight heroes – Panfilov Park.
Saint-Voznesenskiy is an Orthodox Cathedral designed by the local architect A. Zenkov, was built without the use of any nails in 1940 and is one of the nine most unique wooden buildings in the world. Its wall paintings and interior decoration boggle the imagination of the visitors with its beauty and magnificence. The remarkable fact is that the Cathedral outstood a very strong earthquake of 9 points by Richter scale in 1911.
Independence Monument. It is an inimitable construction that decorates the Republic Square. It was erected by a creative group under the supervision of Shota Valikhanov. This god-like image floats in the glaring sky of the Southern capital while the “Golden” Man tames the snow leopard. Around this monument there is the history of the ancient Kazakh land.
Museums
The Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Museum of Arts named after A. Kasteyev are famous for their vast collections. The Museum of Kazakh National Instruments is unique thanks to its extensive collection. The history of jewelry is described in the Museum of Gold and Precious Metals.
Medeo is a skating rink in the mountains which is known all over the world. It was built in 1972 in a picturesque ravine 15 km away from the city. The mild climate, optimum level of solar irradiation, low air pressure, favorable weather conditions and ice made of hyaline water makes Medeo of the best skating-rinks in the world.
Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan on regulation of activities
