Sightseeing in Almaty
The main cities of Kazakhstan
The city of Almaty, from 1867 to 1921 the real city, from 1921 to 1993 Alma-Ata (from the Kazakh Alma "apple" and the Ata "grandfather"), is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of about two million people. The city is located in the southeast of the Central Asian state, near the border with Kyrgyzstan and China, was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1936 to 1991, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the capital of Kazakhstan until 1997.
In addition to the capital Nur Sultan, Almaty is still the cultural, scientific and economic center of the country with universities and numerous sacred buildings, museums and theaters. Among the most famous religious buildings are the Assumption and St. Nicholas Cathedral. The Almaty TV Tower is 371.5 meters high and was built on the mountain in 1983 Kok-Tobe is one of the tallest buildings in the world. Since the beginning of the 21st century, several skyscrapers have also been built in the city. The city has two railway stations and two airports. The Almaty metro, which was opened in December 2011, as well as trolleybuses provide passenger transportation in the city.
City of Almaty - how to get there
The city of Almaty is located in the south-east of Kazakhstan; in the south it is about 250 km from the border with Kyrgyzstan, and in the east about 300 km from the border with China. The city of Almaty is located in the foothills of the Zaili-Alatau and Tien-Shan Mountains. GPS coordinates of the city of Almaty: 43°16'39"N 76°53'45"E
City of Almaty – tourist information
The city of Almaty is located at the northern foot of the northernmost mountain range of the Tian-Shan, whose hard-to-avoid mountains are crowned by the glaciers of Pik Talgar (4978.9 m), which are almost everywhere in the city. The largest mountain in the city is called Kok-Tobe and has a height of 1070 m. In addition, there are about 300 glaciers near Almaty, the largest of which are the Korzhenevsky and Tuyuksu glaciers. South of Almaty, in Kyrgyzstan, is the large Issyk-Kul mountain lake in the Tien Shan Mountains. This lake is the favorite vacation spot of citizens. 70 km north of the city is the Kapshagai dam, built on a river or in 1970 with a reservoir area of 1847 km2. It serves as the main reservoir for supplying the metropolis with drinking water.
The city of Almaty is surrounded by numerous flowering gardens (especially, of course, apple orchards), fruit, grain and vineyards. In the foothills of the mountain there are groves with apricots, hawthorn and wild apple. A little higher, dense coniferous forests, alpine meadows and, finally, snow-covered icy peaks begin. From the very beginning, plants and trees from all over the world were planted in the parks and gardens of the city, and therefore species from North America, Crimea, the Caucasus and the Far East are still thriving in Almaty and its environs.
City of Almaty - history
In the XIX century BC, settlements of people existed on the territory of Almaty, as evidenced by the finds of various bronze monuments found during excavations to the north of this place. Since the 7th century BC, cultural traces can be found. The most famous and interesting testimony of sacred culture is the so-called "Altyn Adam“, the "Golden Man" from the Issyk burial mound, located near the city of Issyk, 48 km from Almaty. It is a fully preserved, richly decorated gold armor that belonged to a young Saxon prince.
The excavations show that no later than the 10th century AD there were four large settlements on the territory of Almaty.
The city of Almaty, the city of apples
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