Edge Kazakhstan Magazine - Spring 2011 by Coast2Coast Communications

K a z a k h s t a n

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April 2011

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ECONOMIC & CULTURAL INSIGHT & ANALYSIS

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CONTENTS edge www.EdgeKz.com Published by the Committee of International information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Rising Astana Looks Ahead ‘City of the Future’ reveres Kazakhstan’s past

People Power? It’s the ‘People’s IPO’

Spirit of the Steppe Ancient ways of nomadic culture still shape life today

A Heritage of Tolerance

An Expat’s Astana Energizing place to work, intriguing place to play

2011 Asian Winter Games Victory reigns on host Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev University Best, brightest eschew study abroad for remarkable Englishlanguage campus

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Almaty KZ’s economic dynamo

Fashion by Salta Autumn – Winter 2011 collection

Burabai Kazakhstan’s ‘Little Switzerland’ an exotic escape for all seasons

Burabai Hotel & Resort Listings

Kazakhstan Celebrates Women’s Day tradition & Nauryz spring celebrations

Beloved dancer returns to Kazakhstan

Upcoming Events

Astana Listings 76

Restaurants

Arts & Culture

Hotels

Sports & Banya

Nightclubs

Bars

101

Cafés

105

Shopping

107

Useful Information Transportation, Practical Information, Diplomatic Missions, Astana Map

Contributing writers Hal Foster Alex Walters Colin Berlyne David Witherspoon Joe Urbanas Editorial Consultant Kevin Baerson Design by Addnoise Dimitra Darioti Evdokia Stivaktaki Production and Traffic Marzhan Kemelbayeva Contributing Photographers Viktor Glebov Alexey Brytov Tim Herbert Zhanarbek Amankulov Additional photos provided by Kazakhstanskaya Pravda & KazInform Research Tatiana Kuzmina Research and Fashion Valerya Isembayeva With thanks for assistance and photography: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Tourism and Sport Office of the Mayor of Astana For Additional information: info@EdgeKz.com © 2011 Edge Magazine Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited

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Rising Astana Looks By Alex Walters

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s Ahead

‘City of the Future’ reveres Kazakhstan’s past

KazMunaiGas Square

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Central to the success of Astana is an architectural vision that always envisaged it as a city to be lived in and enjoyed by its inhabitants.

Below, left to right Baiterek Tower family stroll KazMunaiGas Building

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“Dynamic, modern, cosmopolitan, vibrant, magnetic and challenging… This is how my foreign colleagues describe Astana,” says Sarsenbek Zhunussov, the city’s chief architect. True, absolutely true. But add to that list important. Very important. In only the past four months, Astana has hosted the Summit of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Dozens of world leaders, thousands of diplomats and support staff – a mix of world travellers, some who had not been to Astana for years, and some who had never been before – were wowed not only by Astana’s splendour, but also by the remarkable speed and order with which it seemingly sprung from the ground like planted spring roses. Then, the city followed it up as Almaty’s co-host for the Asian Winter Games. While Kazakh athletes faired extremely well, Astana should have been awarded a gold medal of its own. So please, at this point, any clichés or analogies involving Astana and “coming out” parties must stop, because there is no end in sight for any sort of “who, what, where and when” regarding Astana’s blazing development. This is much more than a city on the rise, literally or figuratively – Astana is developing its own gravitational pull, driven by its own brand of bra-

vura and relevance. It used to be a place you were sent to. Now it’s a place you come to, beg to be sent to, and hate to leave. Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, might not even qualify for adolescence if it were human. But already it is a take-your-breath-away site for visitors. In just 13 years, a former remote, minor town of only 280,000 inhabitants has become a global capital city of 800,000 with one of the most spectacular skylines in Asia. But don’t stay away too long, or you won’t recognize it, because the best – and most spectacular – is yet to come: The Mayor’s Office in Astana displays models of even more ambitious, ground-breaking architectural projects that are due to be completed in the next few years. Towering over the city’s already cutting-edge skyline will be the new Abu Dhabi Tower. It will rise more than 300 meters, nearly 1,000 feet, making the 88-floor building the tallest in Central Asia. The Abu Dhabi Tower will send a very substantive message about the future of Astana and Kazakhstan. Abu Dhabi is not just a major Arab oil emirate; it has also become a major financial centre which has already created close and rapidly expanding business ties with Kazakhstan. The tower therefore also express-

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Above, top to bottom Yessil River Bank President Nazarbayev meets Kazakhstanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Team Astana cyclists

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This interaction between modern, sophisticated urban life and the natural environment has come to shape the environment of Astana and the way of life of its citizens. Above KazMunaiGaz building on the right with the Transport Tower on the left. Below Astana Arena

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es the growing close partnership between the leading Muslim nation and largest energy economy of Central Asia and the long-established oil economies and societies of the Middle East. Where the Abu Dhabi Tower gives concrete expression to Kazakhstan’s flourishing participation with the Muslim world to the south, the new highspeed rail link displayed in the Mayor’s Office gives dramatic substance to the rapidly expanding energy and investment partnership with giant China to the east. Chinese companies will be building the first high-speed rail system in Central Asia to connect Astana with Almaty, Kazakhstan’s business capital and largest city. The trains on the rail link will travel at 210 miles per hour (350 kilometres per hour), providing a service comparable in its technological sophistication with Japan’s famous bullet trains, China’s new high-speed rail system, and the high-speed trail services of Germany, France and Spain. The new service will cut the travel time by rail between the two cities from 14 hours to only four hours. Last year saw the opening of Astana’s spectacular Khan Shatyr complex, a luxury shopping mall and social centre designed in the form of a gigantic, 500-feet tall, traditional Kazakh nomadic tent, or “yurt.” Khan Shatyr already has established itself as a favourite social centre for the people of

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11 the city through the long, harsh, cold nights of winter in the heartland of Eurasia. Today, the Mayor’s Office displays an exhibit of an even vaster project, dedicated to keeping the people of the city active in sports and recreation in what is one of the most extreme climates in the world. An entire underground city complex around two-square kilometres is also being constructed. Central to the success of Astana is an architectural vision that always envisaged it as a city to be lived in and enjoyed by its inhabitants. Chief architect Zhunussov described President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s decision to create the new capital virtually from scratch as a visionary decision that required courage, nerve and an enormous amount of work. “This decision to leave the great, long-established city of Almaty, with it scenic location in the foothills of magnificent Alatau Mountains reminiscent of Denver or Zurich, to a provincial town surrounded by hundreds of miles of steppe on every side, startled many at the time. But it has proved to be far-sighted and wise,” Zhunussov said. Astana could not be said to be spectacular 13 years ago, but it certainly is now. The new embankment stretching around the curve of the Ishim River has already become one of the most remarkable vistas of its kind across all of Asia. During the dark steppe nights, when the complexes of hotels, office blocks and artfully designed luxury apartment build-

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ings light up, it becomes truly magical. Also central to the master-plan for the city on display in the Mayor’s Office is a vision to make Kazakhstan’s capital the crossroads of Europe and Asia: the true meeting point between East and West. “Within a decade, enormous and often breath-taking construction projects had erected a unique city defined by soaring, futuristic architecture in the heart of the Asian steppe,” Zhunussov said. The main architect to shape the overall plan of the new city was the already-famous Kise Kurokawa of Japan. Kurokawa won an international competition to prepare a grand plan for the new city. The basis of the Japanese master’s work was a philosophical doctrine of symbiotic architecture. “Kurokawa recognized that modern urban architects had wrestled with the challenges of preserving the natural environment in their city designs, and of shaping identities for their cities that could be defined by its most prominent and easily identifiable buildings. He utilized the most advanced principles and practices of urban planning to realize this vision,” Zhunussov said. Kurokawa drew up his master plan for Astana guided by three principles: He called them “symbiosis,” the “metabolic city” and “abstract symbolism.” And he used these concepts to define a harmonious form of co-existence between nature and urban structures. This interaction between modern, sophisticated urban life and the natural environment

He utilized the most advanced principles and practices of urban planning to realize this vision.

Below Astana-Baiterek Tower

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Above, left to right Palace of Peace & Accord Khan Shatyr Opposite page Astana Triumph Building

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has come to shape the environment of Astana and the way of life of its citizens – just as Kurokawa intended. Prominent among Kurokawa’s creations for the city was the establishment of a 300-metre-wide “green water” protection zone along the Yessil River. This provides a refuge for wild life and a green, inviting park area for the people of Astana that serves as a contrast and refuge from the dry steppe region, surrounding the city on every side. “The Yessil River flows through Astana as an artery of life for the region,” Zhunussov said. “Maintaining its purity and protection from pollution is therefore elevated into a health and ecological priority. The protection of nature and the vital necessity of living in harmony with it are integrated into a permanent priority in the life of the national capital.” Kurokawa also had the vision of creating a large eco-forest around the capital to protect Astana from hot summer winds, winter snowstorms, and dust storms of the steppe. He understood the importance of gently shaping nature to make the originally harsh regional climate much softer. “To fulfil this plan, over the last five years, the state authorities have planted the Zhassyl Aimak forest over 45,000 hectares. In the next five years, another eco-forest will be planted covering another 30,000 hectares,” Zhunussov said. Zhunussov said that architects currently working on Astana’s development believed the image of the city should also express elements and forms from the cosmologies of traditional Kazakh cultures represented in Kazakhstan. They therefore argue that the city should be polyphonic in its structure and should reflect the symbiosis of the numerous cultures and peoples inhabiting the vast Eurasian space. “This way, the traditional tolerance, hospitality and engagement of the Kazakh people with so many different peoples and cultures on every site will be physically expressed in the buildings and character of the new city,” the chief architect said. The Palace of Peace and Harmony designed by

renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster fully reflects Kurokawa’s guiding vision. Foster expressed his vision of the Palace of Peace and Harmony in the form of a pyramid. He believed that it’s sharp, clear, eternally-unchanging geometric shape most closely embodied the symbolic perpetuation of the core value of maintaining peace and harmony among the peoples of Kazakhstan, and the inhabitants of the whole world. The Palace is architecturally unique. Unlike all other religious and ecumenical facilities in the world, it was carefully designed first and foremost as a dialogue platform for the leaders of the world’s religions. And Lord Foster, a master of high-technology, incorporated numerous unique and innovative ideas into the building’s design. The message of the building projects on display in the Mayor of Astana’s Office is loud and clear: Tolerance, dialogue and cooperation between the world’s religious faiths is not some vague, impractical dream, or ancient, fusty cliché. It is as modern, practical, achievable and cutting edge as the extraordinary, gleaming, open building that was constructed to advance it. Thus, the Peace Pyramid physically embodies Kazakhstan’s successful combination of national secularism combined seamlessly with a celebration of religious tolerance and openness to the diversity of the world and its civilizations. Guided by this vision and inspired by its spectacular new public buildings, Astana is rapidly evolving into one of the leading centres of science, culture and international cooperation in Central Asia. “The architecture of Kazakhstan’s new capital embodies the values of bold thinking, spiritual vision and technological innovations,” Zhunussov said. “In its embrace for nature and use of the most advanced urban planning concepts, its reverence for national cultural traditions, and lavish investment in education and technology to embrace the new world of the third millennium, Astana has already established itself as a global metropolis - the city of the future.” e

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People Power? It’s the ‘People’s IPO’ By Alex Walters

History shows stock offering will empower ordinary Kazakhs – if they embrace the government’s plan ASTANA – This year, the government of Kazakhstan is going to follow Britain down the path of wealth creation: It is emulating the policies of successive British governments over the past 30 years in encouraging the general public to invest in the stock market and to buy shares in major national companies. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Massimov, like British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, want to strengthen and expand the property-owning middle class by getting the public to invest in companies that are raising revenues through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). The IPO project is one of be the biggest and most ambitious steps ever taken to expand the base of investors and participants in a free market stock exchange system in Central Asia. Kazakhstan only became independent from the Soviet Union 19 years ago, yet it has had impressive success in attracting

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$120 billion already in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) since independence. But government leaders know that now they face the challenge of educating their public about the way stock markets and investments in them work, and why investing in growing companies in a healthy economy is a wise long-term investment. The educational challenge is a daunting one. “We can create a wonderful program, but if the final consumer, our people, would not understand what it is all about, it won’t have as much effect as we want,” Prime Minister Massimov said at a government meeting in late February. Even mature, highly successful societies like Japan, which has the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China, has suffered for decades from an inability to get domestic investors to invest their available savings and resources in the Tokyo Stock Market, which has the largest capitalization in Asia. However, Kazakh government leaders are hopeful that as they develop the mechanisms of their domestic stock market, they will fully engage their public and convince national pension funds to raise equity for domestic companies. The prime minister said the push for financial education among the public will be an enormous element of the IPO program. In the energy-rich, booming Kazakh economy, that has been able to rebound after being hit by the global financial crisis, the government believes the value of most shares is likely to steadily rise over the coming decade. Finance Minister Bolat Zhamishev announced in February that in March 2011 the government would determine a list of state-owned major corporations to issue shares on the domestic stock market this year. The first companies to issue public shares will

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KazMunaiGas (headquarters pictured) will be among the coveted IPOs offered.

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Kazakh companies have been trading on Europe’s largest bourse, the London Stock Exchange, since 2005 with successful results.

Above Some of Kazakhstan’s heavy industry companies will be early IPO targets. Below President Nursultan Nazarbayev

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be subsidiaries of the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, Zhamishev said. They will offer minority stakes of up to 10 per cent of their total value, he added. Prime Minister Massimov has already announced that Samruk Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s multibillion dollar Sovereign Wealth Fund, will launch public IPOs for several of the major state-owned corporations it finances. Samruk Kazyna plans to launch public offerings for such huge and profitable enterprises as Kazatomprom, the national nuclear industry corporation and KEGOC, the national electricity grid operator. Although restrictions still exist on trading shares of electrical power companies, legislation is being prepared to remove them. The new IPO initiative will raise capital from within Kazakhstan to further finance already profitable state enterprises. It is designed to attract more shareholders into the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE). And it will be a major step in achieving the goal of making the KASE the leading financial market for all of Central Asia. The KASE aims to empower local citizens as well as international investors to trade in a wide spectrum of financial instruments in Kazakhstan. And it wants to minimize the risks investors are exposed to, in accordance with the best international practices. Speaking at the Nur Otan party congress in midFebruary 2011, President Nazarbayev said IPOs

would also be issued for other state-owned companies, adding that companies such as Samruk Energo and KazPost would issue shares before the end of the year. “At the next stage, in 2012 and 2013, the government is to put up shares of KazMunaiGas, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and Kazatomprom,” the president said. Kazakh companies have been trading on Europe’s largest bourse, the London Stock Exchange, since 2005 with successful results. Major Kazakh companies listed in London include JSC Halyk Savings Bank of Kazakhstan, JSC Kazkommertsbank, and JSC Kazmunaigas Exploration & Production. Yet, while the London Stock Exchange may still project stability and prestige, Kazakh National Bank Governor Gregory Marchenko believes it was a mistake to underestimate Hong Kong and the Middle East. Accordingly, the government looks likely to approve public trading of share issues on major Asian exchanges as well, in the near future. Kazakhmys, Kazakhstan’s largest copper mining corporation, plans to raise $ 500-600 million via an Initial Public Offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones newswire reported recently. The IPO is planned for the first half of 2011 and it would make Kazakhmys the first Kazakh company to be listed in Hong Kong. Kazakhmys was also the first major Kazakh company to list in London raising £661 million (nearly $1 billion) in 2005. e

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Astana

To Feature Seven Nobel Economic Forum Laureates By Barbara Roberts For more than a thousand years, the Silk Road was the main energizing route of intellectual influence as well as commerce across the continents of Europe and Asia. The Astana Economic Forum, although still in its infancy, is now reviving that great Silk Road trade in ideas and intellectual property, as well as fostering material commerce at the crossroads of Eurasia. Seven Nobel laureates will participate in this year’s Astana Economic Forum on May 3-4, the largest annual gathering of global economic experts in Central Asia. The Forum is already making major strides in establishing Astana as an intellectual gathering place at the hub of Eurasia for exploring the most pressing issues of economics, global business and technological innovation. This year’s theme is “Global Challenges and Development Prospects: A Way to the Mutual Progress.” John Nash, the legendary mathematician who was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie “A Beautiful Mind” will be joined by Roger Kornberg, Nobel Prize-winner in chemistry for unlocking the mechanisms of genetic transfer between DNA and RNA. They will fellow Nobel laureates Robert Mundell, Eric Maskin, John Aumann from Israel, Finn Kydland and Sir James Mirrlees from Britain. Other prominent participants will include Jacob Frenkel, chairman of JP Morgan Chase International; Doris Bradbury, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce; and Warren Coats, former deputy director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A strong Chinese presence will be led by Wang Qinping, senior vice chairman of the China Federation of Industrial Economics and Zhou Wenzhong, secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia. It will also include Songzuo Xiang, editor-in-chief of “World Business and Finance” Magazine; Cheng Si Wei, chairman of the International Finance Forum; Ma Jianqing, vice general manager of the Jinchuan Group; Yang Guizhong, vice general economist of the Jiuquan Iron&Steel Group and Chen Hongyi, senior manager of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Norio Sasaki, president and CEO of the Toshiba Corporation, will attend from Japan. The strong American contingent will also include Franklin Fisher, emeritus professor of microeconomics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Richard Cooper, professor of economics at Harvard Univer-

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sity; and Anvar Zakhidov, director of the Institute of Nanotechnology, Texas University. Prominent Kazakh participants will include Timur Kulibayev, chairman of the Atameken Union, also known as the National Economic Chamber of Kazakhstan, and Tourism and Sport Minister Timurkhan Dosmukhambetov. From Germany, Michael Glos, former Minister of Industry, will be joined by a strong delegation including Hans-Heiner Tuting, the executive director of Volkswagen. German Gref, Chairman and CEO of Sperbank, will be part of a massive Russian business presence at the forum. Other Russian participants will include Sergey Bagayev, director of the Institute of Laser Physics of the Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences; Oleg Pchelyakov, deputy director of the Institute of Physics of Semiconductors of the Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences; Viktor Bykov, president the NT-MDT company producing nano-technological equipment and Elena Makarova, director of the department of foreign economic activity of Rosneft. The forum is only four years old, but it has enjoyed phenomenal success and growth to become a major and influential event on the global business and investing stage. Last year, some 2,000 economists from 50 countries discussed ways to avoid a repeat of the recession and financial downturn. This marked a 500 percent increase from the 400 participants at the first forum in 2008. The 2011 Forum will again focus on the global economic recovery following the 2008-9 financial crisis and recession and it will explore proposals to engineer new structures for the world’s financial systems. Other main sessions will focus on: new opportunities for global and regional integration; Islamic financing: opportunities; Transnational corporations in our economies: friends or enemies?; Dialogue of Nobel Prize Winners and governments: maestros advise; Astana Consensus: Recommendations for the G20; Eurasian Business Congress: mutually beneficial investment; Innovation Congress: future technologies; SME: the engine of the economy; Economic implications of tourism in the modern world; Quasi-state sector: its role in the post-crisis development; 20 Years of Independence: the foundation for the county’s social and economic development; Food security in the Central Asia; and Green growth: PostKyoto prospects.

Leading iron, steel and other industry CEOs will speak at the prestigious 2011 Astana Economic Forum May 3 - 4.

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Spirit of the Steppe Ancient ways of nomadic culture still shape life today By Colin Berlyne

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You can’t understand modern Kazakhstan without knowing where the Kazakh people came from: The spirit of untold millennia of steppe life permeates the nation to this day. A wonderful introduction to the timeless romance of steppe life is the 2008 Kazakh movie “Tulpan,” which has been hailed in the United States and Europe as a masterpiece. First-time Kazakh director Sergei Dvortsevoy succeeded in making real and tangible a world as exotic as a National Geographic feature, with its harsh realities of nomadic life. Today, the Kazakh people are many generations removed from the life recreated in “Tulpan.” Yet the spirit of the steppe runs through every aspect of their life and culture. Kazakhs love sports and they love their horses. The small, hardy steppe pony was a nomad’s best friend, transportation and, through its milk, sustenance. Horse hair provided the strings of the dombra, the lute-like instrument whose music enthralls concertgoers today. The dombra recently became an Internet sensation when a video clip from SuperStar KZ, Kazakhstan’s version of “American Idol,” was posted on YouTube. Horse racing was one of the nomads’ most popular sports events. And to this day, horse meat re-

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mains a Kazakh staple. “The horse is probably the most central part of Kazakh culture,” regional expert Eric Johnson wrote in “Countries and Their Cultures.” “Kazakhs love horses, riding them for transportation in the villages, using them for farming, racing them for fun, and eating them for celebrations. Many Kazakhs own horses and keep pictures of them in their houses or offices.” The success of modern Kazakhstan is partly because of its citizens’ tradition of hospitality. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin deported 3 million people to the steppes – Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, Germans, Chechens and even Koreans – and Kazakhs helped many of them survive. Deportation trains stopped randomly to discharge their human cargoes. In the winter, if deportees were far from a settlement, some died. If Kazakhs heard about the newcomers, however, they came to open their homes to them. Hospitality has always been part of Kazakh culture. A tribe or family’s reputation rested on their offering food and shelter to a traveler, regardless of the host’s means. Kazakhstan’s standing as a society where ethnic groups of all stripes get along is rooted in the nomads’ culture of hospitality and tolerance. Steppe society was remarkably commercial. For thousands of years, Kazakhs were a link between the great civilizations of China, the Arab world and the

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Three-quarters of a century of harsh and repressive Communist ideology failed to extinguish the mercantile traditions of the Kazakh nomadic peoples.

Christian West. And Kazakhs themselves would set up bazaars and markets where they could exchange goods with each other and outsiders. Three-quarters of a century of Communist repression failed to extinguish the mercantile traditions of the nomads, which have resurfaced to help independent Kazakhstan become an economic sparkplug. The palace of the Kazakh nomad was his tent, or yurt, which resembles the hogan of natives of the American Southwest. Kazakh historians use the resemblance to support their contention that the linguistic similarities between Apaches and Kazakhs, for example, indicate that people of Kazakh ancestry crossed the Bering Sea eons ago to what is now North America. The yurt was light and easily transportable. It could be erected and dismantled quickly, a saving grace in a place where Mongols or other marauders roamed. And it offer protection from searing sun and biting cold. Temperatures on the steppe can rise to 40 Celsius in summer and plunge to minus-40 in winter. No wonder, then, that Kazakhs loved their tents. The yurt’s importance to Kazakh culture may be what inspired renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster to create another tent-like structure in Astana: the 500-foot-tall Khan Shatyr shopping and entertainment complex. The transportable yurts were an unmistakable

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symbol of Kazakhs’ wandering way of life. Above all else they were herders. They lived daily in intimate contact with their flocks of sheep. Wealth was measured in the numbers and health of one’s flock. Respect was accorded to those most skilled at preserving the sheep. The roaming life gave the nomads knowledge of meteorology. Like ships’ captains, Kazakhs learned to read the language of the sun, the clouds and the wind. They needed to: The heavens could be capricious in the steppe, leaving those unprepared in fear for their lives. Another requirement for survival was cooperation. That lesson has carried through to modern times, with Kazakhstan being the most tolerant and democratic nations in Central Asia today. Tribal leadership was not automatically hereditary. So demanding was the environment, so unending the challenges to the life of the tribe, that leaders not up to the task had to step aside. Better to give the reins to someone who could do a better job of ensuring the survival of the clan. One of the most important skills a pastoral-society leader can develop is diplomacy – the ability to negotiate settlements to conflicts. The leaders of modernday Kazakhstan have been able to forge national unity partly by being able to balance the competing interests of regions and clans. The negotiating skills

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they use were not lost through successive upheavals of Russian Czarist colonization, industrialization and Soviet tyranny and micromanagement of society. The roots of President Nursultan Nazarbayevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famed â&#x20AC;&#x153;multi-vector diplomacyâ&#x20AC;? with other countries lies in the unthreatening, tolerant and non-judgmental relations that the Muslim and animist Kazakhs had with Christian societies to the West, Hindu ones to the south and Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist ones to the east, some commentators say. The question of how religious Kazakhs are is an interesting one. Some outsiders contend that Kazakhs are superstitious rather than religious. Many Kazakhs argue with that view, maintaining they are a deeply spiritual people. The nomads recognized different powers in heaven and earth. Many Kazakhs today would assert that their long, successful record of survival on the plains of Eurasia taught their race that the guiding forces of life cannot be predicted or contained within any narrow religious creed or simplistic political ideology. The Islamic faith goes back more than a thousand years on the steppes of Central Asia, and the Kazakhs proved their loyalty to it by the tenacity with which they protected its observances and traditions during the 74 years of atheistic Soviet rule. Islam on the steppe was seldom rooted in mosques, though both medieval and modern Kazakhstan produced examples that are architectural treasures. But many

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23 Kazakh nomads, like the Arab Bedouins in their trackless deserts, practiced the Faith daily, turning toward Mecca and bowing. There is a fitting symbolism to the location of the Baikonur Cosmodrome – to this day the world’s busiest spaceport – on the undulating steppes of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh tribes were never lost on their unending seas of grass. They always knew how to lift up their eyes to the heavens and navigate to a destination, however distant. That sense of vision inspires their diplomacy and economic success in the modern world. Asa, the touching hero of “Tulpan”, shares this interaction of the visionary and practical. A 21st Century former sailor in the Russian navy, he is imbued with the vision of making it as a shepherd on the Kazakh steppe to win the love of a beautiful girl he has glimpsed only fleetingly. He is a spectacularly inept and hapless shepherd, at first. But driven by his vision, he perseveres, and finds a resolution he never expected. Asa could serve as a metaphor for the millions of Kazakh people who have bridged the gap between the rich ancient nomadic culture from which they sprang real and today’s modern world. The Kazakh people recognize that for all the conveniences and wonders of industrialized society, the secret to their survival and prosperity continues to lie in the wisdom and wonders off the endless, awesome steppe.e

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Kazakhstan to this day remains the most tolerant and genuinely democratic nation in Central Asia, and that too is a heritage of the unending steppe. Tribes had to learn to cooperate.

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Aof Heritage Tolerance By Alex Walters

Kazakhstan takes over the chairmanship of the Organization of the Islamic Conference this June dedicated to proclaiming the spiritual treasures and tolerance of the Islamic faith to the wider world. And in building bridges of understanding to other great religions and cultures the Kazakhs will be loyal to some of their most important and cherished values and traditions. “Multi-ethnic tolerance in Kazakhstan was not formed in one day,” said Eraly L. Tugzhanov, vice chairman of the Assembly of the Peoples of Kazakhstan, the national body charged with maintaining inter-ethnic and inter-faith concord. “There were decisive moments in history.” The Kazakh people were always nomads, traders and explorers across the green ocean of the endless Eurasian steppe. From China’s Tang Dynasty of the 7th century, the Kazakh people prospered from the trade from east to west. The traditions of cosmopolitan contact, widespread trade and tolerance that comes from having to deal with diversity were well established back then. “The Kazakh tribes were a wandering nomadic people. And they therefore laid great emphasis on the values of hospitality, generosity and gratitude,” said Alina Khamatdinova, director of the Civic Alliance of Kazakhstan. “The harshness of the steppe environment made life difficult. No one could survive it on their own: They could only do so as part of a community. And the communities had to learn to cooperate with each other and to trust one another.” The Islamic faith of the Kazakh people arrived at the same time as the age of trade and tolerance. It arrived in the eighth century, during the first, vast wave of expansion of the faith. It was the era of the great Caliphates of Damascus, Cordoba and Baghdad that were the brightest lights of culture, learning, tolerance and science throughout the world for half a millennium.

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The “Astana Nury” Mosque

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The traditions of cosmopolitan contact, widespread trade and tolerance that comes from having to deal with diversity were well established more than a thousand years ago. Through the peaceful activities of missionaries, Islam gradually spread to become the dominant faith of the Kazakh peoples. But their position on the primary trade route of Europe and Asia also exposed them to many other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Daoism and Zoroastrianism. For a thousand years, the rise and fall of empires over the Asian steppe continued this process of open-mindedness and toleration. In the 1930s, it saved endless lives. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin deported hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans, Chechens, Ukrainians, Poles, Jews and even Koreans to Kazakhstan. The victims were literally dumped on to the steppe from their transport trains. Scores of thousands died. But wherever there was a Kazakh village or tribe nearby, they brought shelter, warmth and safety to the victims. “The (Soviet) trains used to arrive and simply disgorge hundreds of people at a time out into the open steppe,” Khamatdinova said. “It didn’t matter if it was the middle of summer or the coldest part of winter, and the temperature extremes here are among the worst in the world. They just forced the people off the trains in the middle of nowhere even if the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius below zero. But the local Kazakh peoples had a tradition of hospitality and compassion. They supplied all the newcomers with the blankets and the yurts (traditional tents) and the other things they needed to survive. They brought them food.” “That’s one of the most important reasons why our society remains so harmonious today,” Khamatdinova said. “We have many minorities in our country and in their own families, the traditions and memories of the kindness that was shown to their grandparents and great-grandparents when they came here is still very strong. We are able to build on that.”

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Because of that history, Kazakh society in the later Soviet era was not disrupted by these internal migrations, it was energized by them. The Muslim religion of the Kazakh peoples also played a central role in developing their sense of tolerance. The mystical Sufi tradition was very strong in Kazakhstan and in the 20th century, Kazakh Sufi teachers heavily influenced Mohandas K. Gandhi in his development of nonviolence to force the British Empire to leave India. Sunni Islam in Kazakhstan has always been cosmopolitan and tolerant. “I have read the Bible, the Torah and the Koran an I have found lots of similarities,” said Ambassador Adil K. Akhmetov, the personal representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims. “We shouldn’t be surprised by the common values between the civilizations and different cultures,” Akhmetov said. “All the prophets were Jews. They descended from Isaac, the second son of Abraham. The Jews and the Arabs anthropologically are very similar. Jews and Muslims don’t eat pork. Their languages are very similar. They both practice the rite of circumcision. They recognize that they come from the same father - Abraham. These are common values. And we must share these common values. That’s the main thing.” When Kazakhstan became independent at the end of 1991, President Nursultan Nazarbayev revived Kazakhstan’s enduring heritage of broadminded Islam, setting an example of the faith to other religions and parts of the world, and encouraging dialogue with them. That policy has succeeded because it is deeply rooted in the heritage of the Kazakh people and the values they have lived by throughout their long history. e

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An Expatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Astana Energizing place to work, intriguing place to play By Hal Foster

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Clockwise from top left Astana circus fountains are a happy place. Everything is fresh at Artem Bazaar. Astana-Baiterek Tower’s crowned dome watches down on the city.

When you first arrive, you’ve got to do the architecturalwonders tour. You’ll see more futuristic buildings in Astana than in any city in the world.

I’ve found Astana an exhilarating place for an expatriate to live, and so have many of my international friends. One of the things you notice right away is an excitement in the air as the many bright, talented government and business people work toward the government’s main goal. That objective is making Kazakhstan one of the 50 most developed and most competitive countries in the world in the next two to three decades. You can feel the commitment of those working toward that goal, from those who have just graduated from universities to top ministers. I was a journalism professor at the Kazakhstan Institute for Management, Economics and Strategic Research in Almaty for three years, through August of 2009. It’s great to see so many of my former students working for government agencies or non-profit organizations in Astana, the capital and second-largest city behind Almaty. To a person, these graduates will tell you they believe they’re making a difference for their country. For example, a graduate named Murager Sauranbayev, who is in the Foreign Ministry’s press service, has helped me line up interviews as a journalist with hard-to-get officials. One of those was the managing director of the Asian Winter Games, Serik Kulmurzayev. The interview was wonderful, starting with Kulmurzayev’s wry sense of humor. When another American journalist with me asked Kulmurzayev how he would help athletes from

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29 warm countries like Malaysia adjust to the Kazakhstan cold, Kulmurzayev grinned and replied: “We can get them to drink vodka and give them beshbarmak (a hearty national dish of lamb, noodles and broth). They will be happy.” Being an expat in Astana isn’t just about the exhilaration of being part of the city’s world of work, however. Astana offers a lot of fun when you’re off-duty. When you first arrive, you’ve got to do the architectural-wonders tour. You’ll see more futuristic buildings in Astana than in any city in the world. Those attending the Asian Winter Games watched speed skating in a new building that was built as a combination indoor cycling stadium and speed-skating rink. If you’re tooling around Astana, you’ll have no trouble spotting the structure. It’s shaped like a cycling helmet. Another building, the Khan Shatyr shopping and entertainment complex, has generated international headlines as the “largest tent in the world.” It’s shaped like a tent bending forward under the wind with top rising to a peak. The tent is made of a special plastic that allows light in but retains heat in winter and chilled air in summer. That’s important because Astana temperatures can hit minus –40 Fahrenheit in winter and 100 in summer. Another famous structure is the Palace of Peace and Harmony, built in the shape of a pyramid as a place of dialogue and reconciliation among the

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The Artem is one of the famed traditional bazaars of Central Asia. On the bottom floor of the six-floor building at Seifullin and Valikhanov Streets is every kind of fruit, vegetable and meat imaginable. world’s religions. Renowned British architect Norman Foster designed the pyramid, as he did the Khan Shatyr and other Astana buildings. A spiritual bent also distinguishes the Baiterek Tower, which looks like a golden egg sitting on a tall tree. The tower represents the legend of the magic bird Samuryk laying an egg in a poplar tree – a story of the birth of Kazakh civilization that is close to the hearts of Kazakhs. These are only a few of Astana’s futuristic structures – and more are coming. The National Library will be another dazzler. It will be shaped like a Mobius strip, a geometrical figure with no beginning and no end. In a few years another landmark edifice will rise, the 88-storey Abu Dhabi Plaza, also designed by Norman Foster, which will include two hotels and an upscale residential area. At 382 metres, it will be the highest building in Central Asia, and the 14th tallest building in the world. By comparison, it will be just one metre higher than New York’s Empire State Building. A Canadian family living in Astana loves the winter sports available. Blaine Reesen said he, his wife and three children like sledding, ice skating and carving

Below The Yessil River comes alive in spring and summer.

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Another famous structure is the Palace of Peace and Harmony, built in the shape of a pyramid as a place of dialogue and reconciliation among the world’s religions.

Opposite page Grand Altau Residential Complex is among Astana’s many exclusive residential high-rises.

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out snow caves and tunnels in deep drifts. “The canal behind the Kazakhstan Sports Center has become a great skating place,” he said. “It attracts hundreds of people at a time.” Reesen, a 42-year-old construction contractor, said that when his family arrived seven years ago, they couldn’t find good ice skates. Now many places rent them. His family also enjoys heading out to the edge of woods to find deep snow drifts. “We have a wonderful time making tunnels and ice caves in them,” he said. Tony Padilla, a 27-year-old American architect, likes Astana’s nightlife, which features an array of discos, pop-music and jazz places. His favorite haunt is the Face Pub disco, whose music includes tunes from the 1980s and 1990s. Face Pub has recorded music plus a singer. “It’s a good place to meet pretty girls,” Padilla winked. Other things expats like to do in Astana are go to the Artem Bazaar and hang out at coffee shops. The Artem is one of the famed traditional bazaars of Central Asia. On the bottom floor of the six-floor building at Seifullin and Valikhanov Streets is every kind of fruit, vegetable and meat imaginable. The second through sixth floors contain clothes, sporting goods, cosmetics, household items such as bedding and the widest range of souvenirs in Astana. Artem’s sixth floor is fun for a number of reasons. First are the tailor shops. The seamstresses do a fabulous job. They’ve sewn up rips in pants and shirts so adeptly that I couldn’t find the original tear.

And they charged almost nothing. The seamstresses in the shop I patronize remember me because, when I got a pair of pants repaired and the charge was only 200 tenge – about $1.30 – I forced the seamstress to take a 300-tenge tip. She and I engaged in a little wrestling match, with her trying to force me to take back the tip and me putting it back in her hand, telling her the price was too cheap. The other seamstresses chuckled at the spectacle. Coffee shops can be a real joy in Astana. You’ll find many European-style places with relaxed atmospheres and a full range of brews. My favorite is an American-style shop, Books & Coffee, which is something like a mini-Barnes & Noble. The proprietor, an American named Martha Peake, sells new books, has a library section where you can check out books, and a coffee shop. Both expats and Kazakhs love Books & Coffee, which is at 61-1 Kenessary Street near the corner of Valikhanov Street. You can always find someone interesting to talk with there, whether it’s an expat working for an international company or embassy, or a Kazakh university student. In addition to the books, coffee and intriguing patrons, the shop’s wireless Internet is a draw. When you add up the dynamic work environment, the architecture and the off-duty joys such as winter sports, nightlife, the Artem Bazaar and coffee shops, Astana is a city an expat can savour like one of Books & Coffee’s fine cappuccinos.e

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2011Asian

Winter Games Victory Reigns On Host Kazakhstan

By Alex Walters

The Asian Games kicked-off in Astana with a traditional Kazakh Fire Ceremony.

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Pictured above, below, and opposite Culture and color captivated viewers of the opening ceremony.

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Our apologies to Edge readers: Sorry you missed it, but we’re sure you’ll be able to read about it in the future. Because the 2011 Asian Winter Games, and host country Kazakhstan, most certainly have been written into the annals of sports history and the inspiring spirited catalogue of Asian achievements. For the first time ever, the Asian Winter Games were held in Central Asia – and Kazakhstan made history as the first-ever Central Asian host. From this past January 30th to February 6th, some 1,500 athletes from 27 Asian countries poured into Kazakhstan and competed for a record 69 sets of medals. The event, which like the Olympics is divided into summer and winter competitions, has become the second-largest sporting event in the world. A reported 2,000 journalists and 10,000 foreign visitors came

to Kazakhstan to watch the competitions, all of which were broadcast live around the globe. In bottom-line terms, no international sporting event of comparable magnitude has ever been held in Central Asia. Kazakhstan also made history as the first country to ever simultaneously host The Asian Games in two cities, Astana and Almaty. But Kazakhstan did not only make history as the host – Kazakh athletes were absolutely dominant. “Team Kazakhstan” topped all countries with a commanding 70 medals, including 32 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 17 bronze medals. Perennial powerhouse Japan came in second with 54 medals (13 gold, 24 silver, 17 bronze), while South Korea came in third with 38 total medals (13 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze). China, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with spectacular success, came in fourth with 35 medals (11 gold, 10 silver, 14 bronze). The latter is remarkable when you compare the recruiting field of China’s 1.3 billion population to Kazakhstan’s population of 16 million. Experts say that the massive, years-long planning and execution effort – and its ultimate success – is a testament to Kazakhstan’s growing prestige as a government, and society, capable of mastering the mammoth logistical challenges involved in organizing world-class affairs. Kazakhstan officials were delighted to learn that one of the expert spectators, perhaps the world-leading evaluator of government hosting prowess, was none other than Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee. Rogge was on-hand to assess how well Kazakhstan had done in prepping to host the big event. He toured the Asian Winter Games facilities and Kazakhstan’s event-organizing skills to gauge whether the country deserves a Winter Olympics in the near

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Below Speed was a theme in Team Astana’s dominance.

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future. The experience appeared to leave Rogge optimistic. “Kazakhstan has already proved that it’s capable of organizing events at the highest possible levels,” said Rogge. In his comments, he also referred to Kazakhstan’s successful hosting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit, the huge annual gathering of the 56 member-nation organization, which was held last December in Astana to rave reviews. Kazakhstan aimed high and cut no corners in its preparation for hosting the Games. No less than $1.65 billion was spent on construction and preparation to host the event. But much of the investment was made in facilities that will have a lasting impact and strategic value to the country’s social and economic development. Making the country a respected and familiar venue for international sporting competitions of every kind fits well in the Kazakh government’s “multi-vector” diplomacy efforts, and is an important element of its broader international relations goals. For the first time in the event’s history, the Asian Winter Games were held simultaneously in two cities. That was because Kazakhstan’s leaders wanted Astana, the capital, to obtain some of the international recognition and economic benefits of the Games, rather than having Almaty, the country’s biggest city, reap all of the rewards. Because of the two-city venue “it [was] like organizing two Games,” said Serik Kulmurzayev, the head of the organizing committee

for the event. In effect, he said, “We’ve had to have two organizing committees – one for each city.” Prime Minister Karim Massimov has said that the effort expended in constructing the Games’ facilities has given Kazakhstan a “good opportunity to become a major (winter) sports power.” The payoff will be felt for years to come. Making the country a respected and familiar venue for international sporting competitions of every kind fits well in the Kazakh government’s “multi-vector” diplomacy efforts, and is an important element of its broader international relations goals. After the buildup to the Asian Winter Games, Kazakhstan certainly has the infrastructure and venues assets in place. Now, Olympic experts are wondering if Kazakhstan will make a bid to host the Winter Olympics. These include a new Sports Palace, the Biathlon Stadium, an impressive new Olympic-standard ski jump complex and the Athletes Village. The government of Kazakhstan also modernized Almaty’s Central Stadium, the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace and the Shimbulak Ski Resort and Medeo Skating Rink, which are both located in the Tien Shan mountains, 30 minutes’ drive outside the nation’s largest city, Almaty. Several of the indoor-event facilities have the futuristic design look that Astana has become internationally famous for. An example is a combination bicycling stadium and speed-skating rink in Astana shaped like a cycling helmet – a reminder that Ka-

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37 Right President Nazarbayev at Astana Asian Winter Games inauguration. Below Silver medallist Takahito Mura of Japan, gold medallist Denis Ten of Kazakhstan and bronze medallist Song Nan of China.

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“Kazakhstan has already proved that it’s capable of organizing events at the highest possible levels.” – Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee zakhstan’s Team Astana is one of the world’s top cycling squads. Most of the Games’ indoor events – such as hockey, figure skating and speed skating – were held in Astana, a city that is on the northern flatlands, or steppe. The outdoor events, including skiing, ski jumping and biathlon, were held in the hills and mountains around Almaty. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Sports and Tourism believes that the new and refurbished Almaty facilities will be able to attract winter sports enthusiasts year after year. Plans are for the ski-jump complex to eventually have five jumps. Adults will be able to use the 95-metre and 125-metre slopes that were built for the Asian Games. Children will have 20-metre, 40-metre and 60-metre slopes. The Games organizers nearly doubled the length of the Shymbulak ski-run network from 6 kilometers (about 3.6 miles) to nearly 12 kilometers (7.2 miles). In addition, they made the width of the runs much wider in many places. Ian Woods, a former British biathlon (skiing and rifle shooting) competitor at two Winter Olympic Games, served as a sports commentator at the Asian Games and described it as a great adventure. Woods said he found the standard of organization

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Alright To Be Wrong Team KZ’s dominance delights

and participation to be as high as the Commonwealth Games, which involve countries in the former British Empire. “I really enjoyed doing the work and it was a fantastic experience,” he told the North West Evening Mail newspaper in Britain. “I was very surprised by how good the infrastructure was. They had clearly spent a lot of money to create a positive impression… and the people in Kazakhstan are wonderful.” It must be noted that in making such an indelible impression for their ability to put on a show, the government of Kazakhstan also flashed a sharp nose for multicultural promotion. The Kazakh state broadcaster even hired Michael “Eddie The Eagle” Edwards, the U.K.’s first-ever Olympic ski-jumper, to provide color commentary for their broadcasts of the games. Edwards became an everyman’s hero during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and achieved cultural icon status thereafter. Edwards definitely delivered what he was paid to do: “Even if I’d jumped in Kazakhstan, last week, I would have been able to beat one or two of the Chinese guys,” Edwards quipped. If things go as the Kazakh government has planned, the may be calling on him again. e

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Sports Minister Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov told a press conference before the opening of the Asian Winter Games that he hoped Kazakhstan’s national team might win as many as 25 medals in all, and reach third in the over-all rankings. “China and South Korea are the event’s clear favourites and our main rivals,” Dosmukhambetov said. “But I believe that we are capable of winning 25 medals. I hope it will be enough to take the third place in the Games’ medal table.” We’re sure Dosmukhambetov was very happy to be very wrong in his prognostication, as the final results eclipsed even the most optimistic goals that the Kazakhs had set for themselves. When all was said and done, “Team Kazakhstan” topped all countries with a commanding 70 medals, including 32 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 17 bronze medals. Perennial powerhouse Japan came in second with 54 medals (13 gold, 24 silver, 17 bronze), while South Korea came in third with 38 total medals (13 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze). China, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with spectacular success, came in fourth with 35 medals (11 gold, 10 silver, 14 bronze). The latter is remarkable when you compare the recruiting field of China’s 1.3 billion population to Kazakhstan’s population of 16 million. The great Kazakhstan cross country skier Alexei Poltoranin won three gold medals – in the 1.6 kilometers, the command ski sprint and the 30 kilometres event. The nation’s top orienteers dominated their events even more thoroughly. Michael Sorokin and Olga Novikova won four gold medals each, in the male and female orienteering relay, orienteering sprint, orienteering average-distance and orienteering long-distance events. Kazakhstan’s male and female orienteering teams dominated their events, winning gold medals in both. Skiers Eleena Kolomina and Nikolai Chebotko also won two gold medals each in team events. Kazakh fans were also able to rejoice that their highly rated ice hockey team captured the gold on its home turf and its rising figure skating star Denis Ten captured gold In a very tough competition.

The Kazakh Hockey Team won the gold.

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ENERGY of CREATION

The main activities of the company are:

Geological exploration Uranium production Manufacture of nuclear fuel cycle products The electric energy sector

Production of construction materials

Social welfare

Training of personnel

Reactor construction, nuclear power plants Scientific support of production

National Atomic Company “Kazatomprom” JSC Republic of Kazakhstan, 168, Bogenbay Batyr St., Almaty 050012 F: Ò:

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Nazarbayev University

Nazarbayev University Best, brightest eschew study abroad for remarkable English-language campus By Hal Foster

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Nazarbayev University Atrium

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It’s an exciting time to be a student at Nazarbayev University. Ask Berdiyar Saurbayev of Aktau or Azamat Apraimov of Aktobe, who gave a tour of the university to two visiting American journalists recently. The two will tell you it’s a thrill to be on the ground floor of one of the most important developments in Kazakhstan’s higher education since the country’s independence in 1991. Saurbayev and Apraimov are part of the first group of 486 students at Nazarbayev University: The founding Class of 2014. Having started classes just last September, they are true believers in the university’s destiny. They said they were so impressed with the government’s commitment to making the

institution world-class that they passed up offers of Bolashak Sc holarships to study abroad. Nazarbayev University is named, of course, for President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who also started the government-financed Bolashak programme in the 1990s. It sends thousands of the country’s top students to overseas universities each year. The Bolashak Programme has given young Kazakhs the knowledge they need to become the country’s future leaders. Many Kazakhs have earned not only bachelor’s degrees overseas abroad but also master’s and Ph.D.s. They’ve brought back fresh ideas to help invigorate the country’s drive toward modernization. Now that Nazarbayev University is here, however,

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Duke plans to send its own faculty to Astana every semester to teach the business programme that the university will offer.

government officials have said they would like to see more top scholars studying at home instead of overseas. Because most of the university’s professors are faculty members of top Western universities, or were educated in the West, its students will receive the same top-flight education they would have obtained abroad. “Tell me, frankly, did I do the right thing by staying at Nazarbayev University instead of going overseas on a Bolashak Scholarship?” a student asked one of the journalists, who is also a professor. “Am I missing anything?” “The only thing you might be missing is the kind of learning you can obtain by being immersed in anoth-

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er culture awhile,” the journalist replied. “But your professors here are from other cultures, so you’ll pick up cultural lessons from them.” Happy with the answer, the student nodded in agreement. The Nazarbayev University professors the journalist was talking about include faculty from University College of London, which is in charge of the first-year classes the students are taking, and the University of Wisconsin, which will oversee the second through fourth years. Other partners include the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie-Mellon University and Duke University. Duke plans to send its own faculty to Astana each semester to teach the business programme that Nazarbayev University will offer. “That means students here will basically be getting a Duke University business degree – and Duke is always listed among the top 15 U.S. business programmes,” one of the journalists told Saurbayev and Apraimov. “That’s a great deal for students studying business here.” The journalists’ tour started with Nazarbayev University’s incredible atrium. It is the center of the educational complex, with appendages that contain administrative offices, classrooms, a library, laboratories and a dining facility. The atrium, which is as long as three football fields, boasts pools and thousands of tropical plants, including bamboo and several varieties of palm trees. It’s so lush that you’d expect to see monkeys or parrots flitting about or pandas nibbling on the bamboo. Students sit on benches in the atrium between classes, studying, using their computers or chatting. The greenery creates a peaceful backdrop that’s conducive to learning. When asked if the university has to do anything special to take care of the Garden of Eden, university spokeswoman Dinara Tussupova replied: “Oh, yes, we had to hire a special gardener.” The gardener, an expert in tropical plants, started by bringing in soil from abroad – because Kazakhstan’s soil is unsuited to plants that grow in a steamy climate, even if they’re in a covered indoor facility. The university is paying similar painstaking attention to its other facilities. The library, for example,

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President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the university inauguration.

The university’s lab equipment is a direct reflection of the appliedscience mandate.

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has many English-language educational databases that no other Kazakhstan university has, according to senior librarian Darya Bukhtoyarova. Many of the library’s bookshelves are still empty, but filling up fast as librarians order thousands of books, the majority from abroad. Most of the books are in English – a reflection of the university’s international focus – but it has started an excellent collection of Kazakh literature and history books. Kazakhstan’s leaders have taken many initiatives since independence to revive Kazakh culture and to have all residents speak Kazakh by 2020 – and the Nazarbayev University Kazakh-language books will play a part in that. From the library, the journalists’ tour moved to physics, chemistry and biology labs. Business leaders have long called for Kazakhstan’s universities to teach more applied science – that is, science aimed at creating products – instead of the pure science that has been their hallmark. Nazarbayev University is taking the message seriously, becoming the country’s first higher-educational institution to focus on applied science.

The university’s lab equipment is a direct reflection of the applied-science mandate. It helps students learn skills they can use in their professions. The biology lab, for example, boasts a spirometer that allows students to measure lung capacity and volume, lab director Aiman Shalaganova said. Such equipment allows students to “not only learn theory but have some practice, too,” said Saurbayev, who plans to become an engineer. From the labs, the journalists’ tour moved outside to the dormitory buildings. One of the high-rises is finished. Students have been in it since the first semester last fall. A second building is completed on the outside, with finishing work being done now. It will be ready this fall. The high-rise that’s completed includes faculty quarters. University administrators have said they want to make on-campus quarters available to professors who desire it. After the tour, one of the journalists asked Dr. Steve Green, an American who is one of Nazarbayev University’s founding administrators, if there were any new developments in the institution’s march toward progress. Things are moving so fast at the university that Green, whose newest job is executive manager of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, always has something to talk about when asked that question. Yes, Green said, “we just hired a person with an impressive career in education” to head the new Centre of Educational Policy. She is Aida Sagintayeva, a former vice president of Eurasian National University in Astana, former director of the Bolashak Scholarships Programme and a former Fulbright fellow at Indiana University. The Fulbright exchange programme sends American professors to teach at universities abroad and brings overseas scholars to the United States for study and research. In addition to Sagintayeva’s appointment, Green said, the university will soon hire 17 humanities and social-science professors for the fall semester. The journalists left thinking they ought to tour the university again before the year is out. Things are moving so quickly at Nazarbayev University that it’s a safe bet there will be more to see in a few months.e

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Almaty: KZ’s economic dynamo By Hal Foster Almaty has long been known as Kazakhstan’s commercial centre. Yet it sits on no mining or petroleum deposits, and has no major manufacturing facilities. But given the city’s large population and geographical location, it was logical that the country’s largest and most critical markets would expand there the most, and spark an economic dynamo. Among the keys to Almaty being the country’s largest economic engine is size – the fact that it’s Kazakhstan’s largest city means it generates the country’s largest consumption demand. In turn, this demand has positioned it as the country’s largest retailing and wholesaling centres. Almaty also has a sizable food processing sector to feed its many residents, plus thriving transportation, communication and hotel industries. These sectors helped fuel a domino effect in other industries, such as finance. Almaty’s status as Kazakhstan’s financial centre, combined with its population and growing consumer wealth, led to its standing as the country’s largest and most lucrative real estate market. The city’s massive production and consumption is also boosted by its proximity to China, which makes it a gateway to trade with the world’s most populous country.

Almaty’s Esentai Park Business Center symbolizes the “lean” efficiency of Almaty business culture.

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The headquarters of all of Kazakhstan’s major banks are in Almaty because banks follow the money. Below, top to bottom Prosperity makes for lots of smiles. The Kok-Tobe TV Tower delivers much of the economic news Almaty business types have come to crave. A few statistics offer a clear picture of how important Almaty is to Kazakhstan’s economic life. The city of 1.4 million accounts for a fifth of the country’s gross national product and a third of its tax revenue. It generates half of the country’s retailing and wholesaling revenue each year. It accounts for a sixth of Kazakhstan’s trade with other countries. And its small and medium-sized businesses generate a third of the national income from those sectors. “Although we see significant population growth in the Caspian region and Astana, Almaty remains the most significant driver of the economy,” said Michael Eggleton, the chief executive of Eurasian Bank, one of Kazakhstan’s 10 largest. Anyone visiting Almaty for the first time will find unmistakable evidence of its retailing prowess. Every block has businesses that sell something. They range from mom-and-pop mini-markets to pricey boutiques to the famous Green Bazaar to big shopping centers. Behind this dynamic retailing industry is an even larger wholesaling industry that supplies the retailers. Many retailers have set up hubs in Almaty, meaning that the goods they buy for their operations outside the city are warehoused in Almaty for shipment elsewhere. They include such well-known brands as LG Electronics, Food Master, Planet Electronics and LogyCom. Important wholesalers include the poultry and egg producer Seimar and the milkproducts producer Foodmaster. Almaty generated $6.6 billion in retailing income and $21.8 billion in wholesaling income last year. The figures for the second-largest city, Astana, which has about 750,000 people, were $1.9 billion in retailing and $9.5 billion in wholesaling. And for Kazakhstan as a whole the figures were $20 billion in retailing and $51.2 billion in wholesaling. Although the main reason for Almaty’s retailing and wholesaling muscle is the sheer size of the city – which is closer to two million when all the suburbs are taken into account – another factor is the wealth of many of its residents. Although statistical evidence on individual wealth is hard to come by, there is general consensus throughout Kazakhstan that Almaty has more of the well-heeled than any city in the country. Signs of wealth are everywhere – from women walking out of boutiques with bags full of

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47 designer dresses and mink coats to the many Lexuses, Mercedes Benzes and other luxury cars prowling Almaty’s streets. And of course the wealthier you are, the more you have to spend. The Ramstor chain cashed in early on the foreigners who flooded into Kazakhstan to help the country develop its oil and mineral wealth and to offer banking, accounting and consulting services. Ramstor, which could be thought of as an upscale Super Wal-mart operation, has picked up tens of thousands of local customers as Kazakhstan’s per-capita income has exploded in the past two decades. Another reason besides retailing and wholesaling that Almaty is such an economic powerhouse is finance. The headquarters of all of Kazakhstan’s major banks are in Almaty because banks follow the money. Banks were a key reason Kazakhstan achieved 10 percent annual economic growth on average during most of the decade that began in 2000. They financed thousands of business projects across the country, but especially in Almaty. To increase the capital they could lend, banks borrowed tens of billions of dollars from the West at low interest rates. That worked well as long as Kazakhstan borrowers could repay the banks, and as long as the banks could continue to rely on outside financing to finance the booming economy domestically. When the global economic crisis swept across the country in 2008, however, the bottom fell out for financial institutions. Because of the financial crunch in the U.S. and Europe, many banks were no longer able to borrow money internationally, while many borrowers were unable to meet their loan obligations, making it difficult for banks to repay their Western creditors. Industry leaders BTA and Alliance Bank defaulted, with the government stepping in to take them over. Both eventually restructured. Banks continue to work down their international debt and to cope with their bad loans from domestic borrowers. It will take another year or two for them to reach the point where they can accelerate Kazakhstan’s economic recovery by ramping up their lending again. When that happens, economists expect banks to make the hefty profits they enjoyed during the go-go years, further increasing Almaty’s economic clout. Eurasian Bank’s Eggleton offered a statistic from his own institution’s business that underscores Almaty’s importance to the banking sector. “The loans from Eurasian bank are diversified across the country, but we still see approximately 50 percent of our loan portfolio originating from the city and region of Almaty,” he said. Not only is Almaty home to all of Kazakhstan’s commercial banks, but it’s also the headquarters of the central bank, the National Bank of Kazakhstan, which establishes monetary policy, and the Financial Supervision Agency, which regulates banks. And it’s the location of the Kazakh-

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The Case for KASE C ent r al A s i a’ s f i nance h u b ? By Alex Walters It’s early days yet for KASE, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in Almaty: But the sky may yet be the limit for it. The exchange has only been operating on a fully commercial basis for less than four years, but it is on the brink of a massive expansion. The government has ordered some of the largest and most profitable state companies in the country to launch new IPOs, or initial public offerings, and to establish listings on the exchange as soon as possible. The potential long-term gains of expanding KASE are enormous for Kazakhstan, given the region’s current state of play. Neighboring Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also are fast-developing, energy-rich economies. Nearby Mongolia, too, is considered one of Asia’s rising “tiger economies.” And certainly not lost on Kazakh planners is that regional giants India and China will always loom large. Yet, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia have no stock exchanges or comparable free-market investment institutions, and none appears to be in sight. So, if Kazakhstan can establish KASE as a stable and reliable regional trading center, it could prove to be a magnet for companies from nations across Central Asia, from as far afield as Azerbaijan in the west to Mongolia in the northeast. The IPO plan has been developed over many months, and the plan not only aims to catalyze the rise of a vibrant capital market – it also engenders Kazakhstan’s long-term strategy to increase citizen participation in, and benefits from, the highly successful energy and mining development of the nation since independence. Of course, Kazakh planners see expansion of the KASE investment base through the IPO process as a long-term step towards the capitalization process in Kazakhstan. Yet they believe Kazakhstan can only become truly stable and democratic in the long-term if it has a relatively large and stable, property-owning middle class. The habits of responsibility that go with managing property, they believe, also will translate into making responsible long-term choices about the country’s future development. Global experts agree that the IPO offering will probably turn out to be undervalued, and therefore a very good deal, for those who buy the initial offerings. “I think that ’floating’ already profitable companies, that are already floated does make sense,” said Jean-Christophe Lermusiaux, head of research at Visor Capital. There is no doubt about the immense profitability of the companies involved. Kazakhstan is a treasure chest of oil, natural gas uranium, copper and other precious minerals, and it is heading fast towards becoming one of the world’s potential leading food producing nations as well. Also, some of the country’s largest corporations such as the copper mining giant Kazakhmys and the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) are already listed on the London Stock Exchange and are included in the Financial Times Stock Exchange index (FTSE, or “Footsie”). In addition, last year, in a development little noted in the US and British media, the Kazakhs successfully negotiated an agreement to list major corporations on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hang Seng, as well. Hong Kong is the second largest stock exchange in terms of capitalization in Asia after Tokyo and is the Kazakhstan’s largest on the Asian mainland. The Kazakhs are stock Exchange widely expected to push ahead to get major companies listed on the Singapore exchange as well. is on the brink “One of the ways for Kazakhmys to increase its of a massive presence and improve its recognition (in China) is expansion. to get a listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange,” a

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48 company spokesman said recently. Analysts also believe that the expertise major national companies will need to establish themselves on the Almaty Stock Exchange in the short-term, and raise capitalization there, will make them more willing and skillful at preparing to launch their share offerings on larger and well established Asian markets, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Fanfare aside, the road ahead to domestic capitalization is not going to be an easy or fully straightforward one. Ironically, major Kazakh corporations may have an easier time of it going through the complex legal, financial and administrative processes of getting listed on already long-established international exchanges. Fortunately, KASE is still young, and legal hurdles to enable broader public ownership of stock have largely been erased. The exchange was only established on August 8, 2007, less than a month after the government enacted the legal grounds to create it. KASE then surrendered its previous non-commercial organization status, and since then, the shares of any company listed on it could be bought by any interested parties. Previously, the law essentially limited potential shareholders to securities market and related organizations. While the success or failure of market mechanics are the domain of economists and financial planners, the Kazakh government must successfully educate its own people if the rise of KASE and its IPOs are to catalyze and expand Kazakhstan’s middle class. Above all, the Kazakh public has to be educated as to the benefits of investing in profitable companies in their own country. Prime Minister Karim Massimov regards public education about the benefits of stock ownership as a crucial part of the stock market expansion process. The government has said that in launching the IPO process, it will first sell $500 million (£306 million) of shares in KazMunaiGas EP, a Londonlisted subsidiary of the state energy company. Afterwards, Kazakhmys and ENRC, and then the Kazakh subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal, the European-based global steel corporation will also issue their IPOs according to the plan. “In theory what it means is that the government sells some of its shares in ENRC and Kazakhmys,” said Milena Venturini, head of research at Renaissance Capital in Almaty, the Kazakh financial capital. “With Kazzinc (the Kazakh unit of Glencore) and ArcelorMittal the only way to read it is that over time the owners would be encouraged to float shares locally.” At the next stage, in 2012 and 2013, the government plans to put up shares of KazMunaiGas, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, and Kazatomprom for public purchase on the KASE in Almaty, President Nursultan Nazarbayev told a congress of the ruling Nur Otan Party last month. He also said the government would organize the public offering of shares of other stateowned companies such as KazPost, Samruk Energo and KEGOC “before the end of the year.” The process of issuing the first IPOs may take some time, and as with any emerging market, there likely will be issues to address along the way. What most certainly will keep the process stable and on course is the flexible strategy of Kazakh planners, which gains credibility from their demonstrable economic progress and the abundant natural wealth that fuels the strength of many Kazakh companies. But even the most stoic analyst – even one who had never set foot in Kazakhstan, and felt first-hand the country’s progress and momentum – would be hard pressed to wager against Kazakhstan’s future as the financial centre of Central Asia.

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there is general consensus throughout Kazakhstan that Almaty has more of the wellheeled than any city in the country.

stan Stock Exchange, which operates under the authority of the Regional Financial Center of Almaty. The exchange helps companies make initial public offerings of stock to raise capital for expansion and the government floats bonds to raise capital for infrastructure, such as roads that are part of its ambitious development effort. Eurasian Bank’s Eggleton predicts that “the eventual recovery of the real estate market in Almaty will be a key driver in the recovery of the Kazakhstan banking sector.” The good news is that the real estate market has begun recovering – although slower than many would like. Insiders say it will be another year or two for the rebound to accelerate to the point where it begins to resemble the boom of the previous decade. In addition to sales of new housing, sales of existing units have long driven Almaty’s real estate market. Older-home sales are expected to accelerate with the recovery as well, real estate insiders say. It’s only proper that a real estate recovery spark a banking recovery because the property’s market nosedive in 2008 was the main reason banks’ profits plunged. Tens of thousands of Kazakhs bought homes and commercial property on credit between 2000 and 2008. When the economic crisis struck, lots of them lost their jobs, had their pay cut or their hours reduced. That meant they were unable to pay their mortgages. There were too few buyers to snap up the defaulted property. So real estate prices spiraled downward. The disaster sent many real estate developers and construction companies into bankruptcy. The stronger ones survived, though, and are helping to lead the recovery. One is Woolim of South Korea, developer of the lavish Apple Town complex in south Almaty. Apple Town is huge. When finished in 2015, it will cover 27 hectares. Its 2,500 apartments will accommodate about 6,000 people. And the complex will include offices, shops and schools. The apartments, ranging in size from 108 to 250 square metres, will be built on three blocks. Each will have parks with fountains, playgrounds and sports areas. Woolim is going to great lengths to create “intelligent homes” in Apple Town. Apartments will have an electronic

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49 Right, top to bottom Like its mirrored exterior, the Nurly Tau Business Center’s full occupancy reflects Almaty’s commercial density. Almaty’s prosperity has put disposable income in many Almaty residents’ pockets. Proof positive, the highly-profitable Medeo mountain ice rink.

entry system, security videos in every room and devices to turn the heating and lighting systems on and off remotely. In addition, all units will have a water-softening system. Woolim is particularly proud of an underfloor heating system that will be part of each unit. Apartment owners will be able to pad through the house in their slippers or socks without getting their feet cold. Although the economic crisis hammered Almaty’s banking and real estate sectors, it had little impact on the city’s growing trade with China. That trade started immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Many residents of the former Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic found themselves without a livelihood when the country became independent. Those with an entrepreneurial bent began traveling to China with empty bags and returning to Kazakhstan with bags full of Chinese goods – clothes and shoes in particular. These “shuttle traders,” as they were called, became an important component of Almaty’s economic growth. The main conduit for trade between China and Kazakhstan is the border town of Khorgos, which is only 220 miles northeast of Almaty – about a four-hour drive. Actually, there are two Khorgoses – one on the Kazakhstan side of the border and one with the same name on the Chinese side. The British Broadcasting Corporation described how dynamic Kazakhstan’s trade has been at Khorgos in a report a few years back – and trade has grown substantially since then. “The Chinese-Kazakh border is the country’s busiest frontier,” the report said. “Lorries (trucks) and cars queue for hours here, empty on the way to China, loaded with merchandise on the way back. Hundreds of people and millions of dollars worth of goods cross the border every day.” Two key infrastructure projects will ensure that trade between Khorgos and Almaty increases – and that the long lines of vehicles that the BBC chronicled will vanish. One project is a new four-lane bridge the Chinese are building across the river that separates the Chinese and Kazakh Khorgoses. Another is a $1-billion, four-lane toll road between Almaty and Khorgos, which will move goods faster between the cities. That project has yet to get under way, however. When Almaty’s banking and real estate sectors bounce back, and new infrastructure makes trade between Almaty and China easier, Kazakhstan’s biggest city is expected to be even more of an economic force than it already is.e

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Autumn-Winter 2011 Collection

Salta brand features sophisticated but comfortable ready-to-wear lines Saltanat Baimukhamedova’s “Salta” brand has become one of the most popular fashion labels in Kazakhstan and won recognition abroad, including at Paris shows. Known as her country’s queen of “prêt-a-porter” – or ready-to-wear collections – the Almaty designer’s lines of casual and evening wear are sophisticated and breezy, yet comfortable. Her latest collection includes eye-catching touches of Japan, and edgy tones of grunge. With her latest brainchild, Baimukhamedova has created a new twist that other designers are sure to copy: scaled-down versions of her women’s clothes for girls.

Our address: Shopping center Mine, 98 Mendykulova Street, Samal – 2, Almaty. Phone: 8 (727) 260 19 43 http://saltafashion.kz © Tim Herbert www.fortystudio.com

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Photographs by Zhanarbek Amankulov

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Burabai

Kazakhstan’s ‘Little Switzerland’ an Exotic Escape for All Seasons By David Witherspoon

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Burabai, which is 1,400 meters high, has 14 large deep-blue lakes and many smaller ones. One of the biggest carries the same name as the resort.

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If you drive north of Kazakhstanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital of Astana for a couple of hours, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll begin to see trees breaking up the monotony of the steppe. A little further and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a wonderland of alpine lakes and intriguing rock formations. Welcome to Burabai, the Switzerland of Kazakhstan. The resort offers much more than spectacular vistas. It has healing mineral waters and mud baths and is home to a national park with teeming animal and plant life. For those who prefer an activity-filled vacation rather than lounging on a lake beach, Burabai (known as Borovoe in the Soviet times) boasts boating, hiking, rock climbing and winter skiing. Cultural aficionados can visit a replica of a nomad village near the resort. And history buffs will be intrigued that the area was a favorite haunt and a headquarters of one of the greatest Kazakh warriors and statesmen, Ablai Khan. Proud that the great man trod the hills and refreshed himself at the lakes, Burabai has marked his residency with a monument, museum and statue. Burabai, which is 1,400 meters high, has 14 large deep-blue lakes and many smaller ones. One of the biggest carries the same name as the resort. The other big ones are Shchuchye, Bolshoe Chebachye, Maloe Chebachye and Kotyrkol. One of the rock formations that visitors love is a Sphinx-shaped island rising from Lake Burabai. Someone who has observed the Sphinx from many

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angles said one view looks like the face of a girl with curly hair, another angle looks like a middle-aged woman’s face and a third angle an old woman’s face. Another rock formation, at the very top of the OkZhetpes cliffs, resembles an elephant lying down. An American couple came across another interesting rock formation on the way to a waterfall that their guide wanted to show them. The monolith “looks like a camel,” they exclaimed in their blog. Kazakhs came up with a legend to explain why a glittering jewel like Burabai popped up in the middle of the steppes. The legend goes that when God created the earth, he parceled out forests, mountains and lakes to all of the world’s peoples except the Kazakhs, who got only steppe. The Kazakhs beseeched the Creator for a bit of natural beauty of their own. God reached into the remnants of his creation bag to find a few scenic cliffs, deep blue lakes and grassand flower-covered meadows, the story goes. He populated the meadows with rare species of butterflies and other insects and filled the lakes with fish, according to the legend. And the Kazakhs delighted in his generosity. It isn’t just Kazakhs who come to Burabai, however. People from across the former Soviet Union do. And, as Burabai’s reputation spreads, the resort is attracting more visitors from the West and other parts of the globe. A six-lane highway from Astana to Burabai that was commissioned in 2009 is likely

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to increase the number of international visitors, tourism officials say. The Astana-Schuchinsk Highway is also expected to accelerate development in the area, which makes some nature lovers wince. The resort’s accommodations range from cabins to five-star hotels. For those wanting to energize their nights, casinos beckon. Visitors enjoy taking deep breaths of the fresh air at the resort, which smells of pine and steppe grass. Mineral waters in the area have spawned a health-spa industry, the first iteration of which opened in 1910. One of Burabai’s modern healing facilities, Zhumbaktas, is a combination spa and health-enhancement center about 7 miles from Shuchinsk in a forested area along the shore of Lake Shchuchye. The cost of staying at the spa includes accommodations, food plus relaxation and health-enhancement programmes. Zhumbaktas provides its clients with five healthy meals a day. Guests can guzzle horse milk or camel’s milk as vitamin therapy. The spa’s treatments include artificial pine, turpentine and herbal baths, physiotherapy and galvanic and mud baths. Amenities include a fitness center, volleyball and badminton courts, Ping Pong tables, a sauna – and even a shooting range. To ensure that the area’s beauty is preserved for future generations, the government established Burabai National Park in 2000. Underscoring Bura-

As Burabai’s reputation spreads, the resort is attracting more visitors from the West and other parts of the globe.

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Burabai is a great place to ski. It has downhill courses, but many enthusiasts choose cross-country skiing through its scenic terrain.

bai’s status as a national treasure, the park is under the direct supervision of the President’s Office. There are about 800 species of plants and 300 species of animals in the park’s forests, meadows, marshes and steppe areas. One hundred of the plant species are mushrooms, making the area a mushroom-hunting paradise. A local English-language guide to the area declares: “Mushrooming is very exciting and useful for good mood.” A note to those who raised their eyebrows over the writer’s assessment: Chances are he was making a general statement about the joys of finding and consuming mushrooms rather than a reference to psychedelic varieties. Burabai is a great place to ski in the wintertime. It has downhill courses, but because its peaks are less than a quarter of a mile high, the option that many enthusiasts choose is cross-country skiing. The area will soon boast ski jumping, too. The Republic Ski Lodge plans to build a 350-metre jump, complete with a 3,000-seat stadium for spectators. The nomad village near Burabai attracts both Kazakh and international visitors, including celebrities. Last year, Hollywood movie star Dolph Lundgren, Hong Kong director Yuen Woo-Ping and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson toured the village before an action film festival in Astana. The celebrities watched as a woman portraying a Kazakh bride of old rode a camel to her groom’s traditional tent, or yurt. They also saw how carpets were weaved. And they tasted traditional dishes such as beshbarmak, baursaks and kuyrdak. Yuen, who is world renowned for his staging of battle scenes in films, said the village captured “the true, ancient way of life of Kazakhs.” Tyson enthused over the performance of a troupe of equestrian stuntmen. Riding at full gallop, each of the troupe members loosed an arrow at a target – and each hit the mark. Those living in the resort area are justly proud

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Because of its “coniferous” forests, Burabai is famed for its therapeutic fresh air. The wafting aroma of fresh pine and steppe grass are ever-present.

that one of Kazakhstan’s national heroes, Ablai Khan, chose Burabai as his stamping grounds. Ablai’s life spanned most of the 18th Century. His dream was to carve out a Kazakh nation on a steppe that included a number of tribal rivals – including the Dzungars and Kyrgyz – and that was in the shadow of the big powers Russia and China. Today’s Kazakhs revere him for his statehood quest, a dream that finally came true in 1991, when Kazakhstan became an independent country upon the break-up of the Soviet Union. Ablai commanded Kazakh armies that fought a number of battles against the Dzungars between the 1720s and 1750s. His tactical skills and bravery during those campaigns earned him the title of batyr, or hero. When he died in 1781 he was buried in the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassaui in the southern Kazakhstan area of Turkestan. But he spent much of his life in the Burabai area. That’s why the locals built a monument, museum and statue to him. The monument is a sleek, impressive obelisk with an eagle – one of the symbols of Kazakhstan – perched at the top. Kazakhs love anniversaries, and the museum opened in 1999. Its many artifacts include one of the shields the warrior used against the Dzungars and a sword belonging to another war hero and khan who lived in the area, Kenessary Kasymov. The Ablai Khan statue is awesome, depicting a fierce warrior with a Mongol countenance. The area includes a stone that is said to be the outdoor throne where Ablai sat. “But the truth,” as one foreign visitor commented, “is that it looks like an ordinary lump of stone.” Locals told the visitor that it really is a throne – but it has been rubbed featureless over the decades by the backsides of tourists trying it for size. That stone is one of the few featureless monoliths in the area, though. Burabai’s many one-of-akind rock formations, combined with its alpine lakes and fresh air, make it a place visitors to Kazakhstan shouldn’t miss.e

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Burabai Hotels & Resorts

ith its pure air, coniferous woods and resplendent mountains, Burabai is a popular destination not only for nature and adventure lovers, but also for “alternative medicinal tourism.” Many people with health issues seeking natural alternative therapies travel to Burabai for its renowned resorts – called “sanatoriums” – some of which combine full-service luxury with onsite, expert alternative medicinal therapies. Westerners should not confuse Kazakhstan’s “sanatoriums” with the meaning of the word back home (a clinical psychiatric hospital), but we’re sure a stay at any of Burabai’s pleasurable sanatoriums will promote mental health! Burabai can be done on the cheap, or you can really spend. If you’re going to Burabai for outdoor recreation, be it vigorous hiking or some relaxing beach time, and you just need a place to lay your head down at night,

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there are a number of hotels that will do just fine. If you want to be pampered at “ClubMed” style resort, one that offers everything you need for some mentally healthy R & R, you’ll find that below too. Prices vary depending on the range of services you book for. There’s no need to pay top-dollar at a place that charges for something you won’t use, so be sure to match your plans with the appropriate facility. If you’re a night owl, don’t worry that Burabai might shut down at 10 o’clock and everyone hits the hay early so they can spring out of bed when the roosters wake. Gambling is legal here, and so is having a good time at night. So if your plan is to lounge around all day and conserve energy for the night, you’ll find plenty of bars, clubs, discos and casinos to expend that energy. You can also kick it all off with a nice dinner at one of Burabai’s many fine restaurants.

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63 Ablai Khan Hotel Tourist Complex Description: «Ablai Khan» Hotel-Tourist Complex is located in one of the most picturesque places of the well-known Burabai resort in the Blue Bay area. Splendid panorama of a mirror fairytale lake and the storied Zhumbaktas and Okzhetpes rocks can be observed through the hotel windows. You may enjoy delicious national and European dishes in comfortable rooms of «Zhumbaktas» restaurant. The hotel complex provides 38 comfortable rooms in a new gothic style. Having rest in VIP - or deluxe suites of rooms with a view to the lake and rocks, one will have a great pleasure; also a VIP-disco-bar and a sauna with a swimming pool are available at the complex.

• Suite $202 per 24 hour • Deluxe $135 per 24 hour • $121 per 24 hour • $168 per 24 hour • $235 per 24 hour Address: Burabai Resort Phone: 8 (71630) 7 10 22, 8 (71630) 7 19 04 Ainakol Hotel Complex Description: Named for its location on the shore of Burabai Lake, the grounds alone are breath-taking. The pure water surface of the lake, like a mirror (aina is Kazakh for mirror, and kol is Kazakh for lake), completely harmonizes with the beauty and greatness of the coastal mountains, the emerald flowing of virginal wood and crystal clearness of the Kazakh sky. The four-star hotel complex, constructed as an addition to picturesque Burabai Resort, is blended harmoniously into this natural beauty. Gourmet chefs, luxurious spas, and accommodations ranging from deluxe suites to standard rooms, all with amazing views throughout of the mountains, coniferous forest and Burabai Lake. Includes a luxurious, full-service health centre with massage, Finnish sauna, children’s and adults’ swimming pools (16m), Jacuzzi, outdoor pool and a tennis court. Boat rentals and other sports rentals available.

• Single standard room $162 per 24 hour • Superior standard room $242 per 24 hour • Suite $323 per 24 hour Address: Burabai resort Phone: 8 (71630) 7 15 74 Open: all over the year

ors, natural wall paper of textile and reed, and the rooms offer everything you need: comfortable furniture, shower room, refrigerator, TV and telephone. There’s also a VIPcottage decorated in traditional a style with a separate entry, a big hall, 4 bedrooms, a kitchen and a beautiful view on the lake. Dining options include a classical restaurant. An elite banquet hall and a grand conference hall for 80 people are available for conferences, workshops and other functions. You can enjoy a private beach with umbrellas, deckchairs, a pine park, and boat and scooter rentals. The staff can book excursions for you around the Burabai resort area, as well as for horseback riding, biking and car rentals.

• Junior suite $136 per 24 hour • Suite $156 per 24 hour • VIP Suite $438 per 24 hour Address: located on the bank of Burabai lake, Burabai Resort Phone: 8 (71630) 7 15 76, 8 (71630) 7 12 33 Bereke Hotel Description: The hotel is equipped with 84 comfortable rooms categorized as of deluxe suite, semi-suite and VIP category. All have a telephone, cable TV, refrigerator and shower room. A sauna with a swimming pool and two billiard rooms are also available at the hotel. The restaurant serves tasty Oriental and European dishes. Excursion services around Burabai resort area are provided.

Burabai is a popular destination not only for nature and adventure lovers, but also for “alternative medicinal tourism.”

Address: Burabai Resort Phone: 8 (71630) 7 28 17, 8 (71630) 7 11 88 Green Bor Sanatorium Located on the bank of Lake Schuchiye, the combination of mountains, coniferous wood and lakes creates not only a unique beauty of landscapes, but also a special medical climate. The pure air sated with the aroma of steppe grass and coniferous wood is especially good here. The resort has two buildings built for 250 guests, a medical house, plus two cottages that can sleep six people. Full health diagnostics and expert consultations can be followed up with cardiovascular, respiratory, gastro-enteric treatments. Water procedures include salt bath, massage, and mud applications. Also has “rest halls,” gym, two saunas, billiards, tennis, bar, restaurant, banquet room, and discos. Staff will arrange excursions, horseback riding, catamarans sailing, and others. Onsite sport facilities for volleyball,

Ak Zhiyek Hotel Description: Located on the shores of Schuchiye Lake, in one of the most picturesque and ecologically safe areas of the Schuchinsk-Burabai resort area. The hotel provides medical treatment, rest, comfortable rooms and deluxe suites. All have a shower room, modern furniture, satellite TV, refrigerator and a telephone. In the hotel are a banquet hall, a sauna, a bar, a billiard room, a sports hall, as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools. They will book any type of excursion for you, and you can rent snowmobiles, skis, sleighs, bicycles, mopeds and table tennis equipment.

• Economy room $74 per 24 hour • Standart room $175 per 24 hour • Suite $215 per 24 hour Address: located on the bank of Schuchiye Lake, Burabai resort Phone: 8 701 725 14 49, 8 702 146 84 43 Alem Hotel Description: This hotel is located on the shores of picturesque Burabai Lake. Offers 26 single and double, deluxeclass rooms. It has been serenely decorated with soft col-

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Legendary Zhumbaktas Island in the forefront and Okzhetpes Mountain in the background

Burabai: Land of Legends Burabai has a mystical side to it: Many of the dramatic mountains and rock formations you see are personified in local legends. We selected these tales because you can easily find their subjects. So think of this lore as you stare awestruck at the sights they speak of. Zhumbaktas Island In northern Lake Auliyekol, a gulf lies between the spurs Kokshe and Temirtau. There rests a stone island named Zhumbaktas (which is translated from Kazakh as a “Riddle Stone”). If you view it one way it looks like a boat, but from another angle it resembles a girl with hair fluttering in the wind. From afar, they say you’ll see an old woman hunched over… Long ago, the beautiful daughter of a controlling father fell so utterly in love with a man whom her father disapproved of. An only daughter, her father dreamt to marry her to the Khan or to a judge, and forbade her to see her love. So she fled with her love on a boat he built. They planned to go to a faraway place – Burabai, on the coast of Lake Auliyekol – where they could marry and be together forever. The enraged father dispatched her brothers and servants, and his orders were severe: kill the “thief” and return the daughter. Meanwhile, inseparable as the swans, the lovers honeymooned in bliss on the waters of Auliyekol, where they found a beautiful gulf in the northern part of the lake. Each night they came there to rest in the shadows of the sweet-smelling birch and fir trees. But the brothers had traced the lovers, and waited days for them in a patient ambush. Then, like a hurricane devastating a lone candle, the fatal arrow impaled her lover’s heart, dropping him dead into the water. Having lost her love, the vacant girl turned to the coming sun and begged God to turn her and their love boat to stone. Seeing the purity of her interminable grief, he granted her supplication.

Okzhetpes Mountain Once, after a victorious battle over some Jungar tribes, Ablai Khan and his men decided to share out the booty, which included a girl, on the shore of Lake Burabai. When everything had been divided up, save for the girl, there was, not surprisingly perhaps, a somewhat heated exchange of words between the khan and his men. When all was said and done, the khan had no choice but to allow her to choose a fiancé herself. But how could she choose a fiancé from among the cruel and brutal murderers who had killed her family? So she decided on a trick. She climbed a nearby cliff – or perhaps it was a smallish mountain – arranged her kerchief neatly over her head, and said she would marry the first man who hit her kerchief with an arrow. For some reason nobody managed it. In the end she killed herself by jumping off a cliff into the lake. Where she hit

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the lake’s surface a rock miraculously appeared: it’s now called Zhumbaktas. The cliff she jumped from is called Okzhetpes, which in Kazakh means “a place which an arrow can’t reach.”

Burabai Mountain In the steppes of Kokshetau lived a special two-humped camel called Bura. He was pure as a snow, mighty, and fast as a “Tulpar,” the winged horse of Turkic mythology. Bura was trustful, silent, and did not break the rest of old men; he never was a burden to anyone. He also had the gift of sensing danger and communicating it to humans through a mutable demeanor. Then one day, when the Great War approached, clouds muted the sky, thunder-storms rattled, and downpours fell. But the normally soundless Bura blew louder than the thunder-storms and downpours. Having heard the disturbing call of Bura, the people gathered. They prepared for battle, sacrificing cattle to the sky, sharpening spears and knives, making bows and arrows, and donning armor. For his modest part, Bura liked to walk and graze, and quench his thirst with cold lake water at the bottom of Kokshe Mountain. While his people readied for battle, he did so. But on his way, Bura was met by the haughty Kassym-Khan, son of Ablay Khan. Bragging to his Dzhigits (Kazakh warriors) about the force and accuracy of his bow, he discharged an arrow into Bura’s heart. The camel howled in pain and fell to his feet. The cruel Kassym-khan rejoiced in the agonizing torment he had inflicted. Reveling in his cruelty, he fired poison arrows into the head, eyes, and stomach of the fading Bura. Still not lifeless yet, Bura has raised a howl so booming and wrathful that his people heard him and came. With a celestial resolve, Bura’s blood and tears merged into one streamlet, and coursed down into the shadowy lake. Blowing, he crept to the lake to take a final sip of its waters. But before he could, KassymKhan thrust a curved dagger into his enormous white body. But it was too late for Kassym-Khan. Bura’s clan understood the meaning of Bura’s prophetic last wail – soon the end would come for the clan of Ablay Khan. In his last act, somehow Bura edged his way to the water that had been the greatest joy of his life. When the water touched his lips, Bura turned to stone – and rose into a magnificent mountain.

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65 basketball and football.

Address: located on the bank of a Schuchiye lake, Burabai Resort Phone: 8 (71636) 9 02 45, 8 (71636) 9 02 47, 8 (71636) 9 02 94 Open: all over the year Kokshebel Lake Resort & Hotel Description: Luxurious guest rooms and suites, VIP cottages and summer wooden houses. Each room is equipped with individually controlled air conditioning, mini bar, satellite TV, safe, and shower cubicle. The hotel has a wide range of services to offer, such as restaurant, swimming pool with sauna, massage room, billiards, karaoke, lounge bar, laundry service, all cafe, playground, and volleyball court on the hotel property. You can relax and sunbath on the resort’s private beach on the shores of Lake Ainakol.

• Three room summer cottage $108 per 24 hour • Standard room $101 per 24 hour • Suite $168 per 24 hour • One-storey cottage $403 per 24 hour • Two-storeyed cottage $537 per 24 hour Address: 2A Kenessary Street, Burabai resort Phone: 8 (71630) 7 11 97, 8 (71630) 7 14 05 Kokshetau Park Hotel Description: This exclusive, luxury hotel has a fantastic location. It’s located in the pine forest, at the foot of the Kokshetau mountains, and on the bank of picturesque Lake Shchuchiye. Its exclusiveness is defined by its location in the picturesque corner of the resort, away from the busy city, and by its state-of-art facilities. You are ensured comfort and recreation as you enjoy nature, clean mountain air and the purity of the lake. With a well-trained staff, the hotel is built and furnished in accordance with the international standards of 4-star category hotels.

• Standard room $121 per 24 hour • Deluxe $155 per 24 hour • Suite $269 per 24 hour • VIP Suite $437 per 24 hour Address: located on the bank of Lake Schuchiye, five miles outside Schuchinsk Phone: 8 (71636) 4 19 99, 8 (71636) 9 03 01 Open: all year Nursat Hotel Description: Offering spacious deluxe suites with all the necessities and equipment - comfortable furniture, shower, a refrigerator, TV and a telephone. On the ground you will find a sauna, swimming pool, billiard room, and restaurant. The hotel is nearby a nature museum, a zoo, a summer cafe and a market. In the evening guests can party at the Rahat disco. Staff can book you an excursion around the Burabai resort area, and also to go horseback riding.

Address: Burabai Resort Phone: 8 (7163) 7 13 01, 8(7163)7 24 01 Open: all year Okzhetpes Sanatorium Description: Sanatorium "Okzhetpes" is located on the picturesque western bank of a Lake Auliyekol, just 300 meters from the legendary rocks of Okzhetpes and Zhumbaktas. They offer health services both for treatment and preventive maintenance using a medical mud baths, baths for hydro and underwater massage, circular shower, and intestinal cleansing. There is a library, billiards, cinema hall, computer club, pool, sauna, gym, a fitness hall. A separate sports hall is set up for volleyball, basketball, tennis. For beautification, you’ll find a cosmetology salon, and hairdressing salon. There also is an excellent house res-

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taurant. Seasonal offerings for summer are a waterslide, boats, catamarans, and summer café. During winter they offer snowmobiles, skating and others.

Address: Burabai Resort on the western bank of the Lake Auliyekol Phone: 8 (71630) 7 51 01, 8 (71630) 7 11 33 Open: all over the year Website: www.okzhetpes.com Samal Hotel Description: An all-inclusive resort including three meals per day, the hotel is suitable for individual visitors, or the entire facility can be leased for “VIP” or small delegation visits. “Presidential deluxe” rooms, “deluxe” and “suite” rooms, as well as double rooms with restrooms and shower booth, stylish furniture, satellite TV, a refrigerator and a telephone are at guests’ disposal. Gourmet chefs prepare home-style fare. On-site facilities include a banquet hall, a Russian bath, a cafe-bar, billiards, a pool with a jacuzzi. There even is a nursery room, where parents may leave their children for some time with an experienced teacher. Excursions can be arranged to Burabai, and you can rent snowmobiles, skis, sleighs, bicycles, balls, badmintons, chess, checkers, and table tennis. If one wishes, a meeting at the railway station and transfer to the hotel by a comfortable minibus can be organized. The hotel will pick you up from the train station on your arrival. A highly professional staff is one of its greatest strengths.

Address: located just off the bank of Schuchiye Lake Phone: 8 (71636) 9 03 18, 8 (71636) 9 02 03 Website: www.samal-otel.com Wood Fairy Tale Health Centre This renovated facility is located in the most beautiful part of the pine forest, where the air is so pure it influences health. Wood Fairy Tale has twelve buildings, including five sleeping houses with all satellite TV, refrigerator, and full bathroom. Those interested can receive an expert health and recommended treatments, including a variety of massage techniques. Onsite are a restaurant, bar, three saunas, billiards, sporting rentals, and a football field. The staff will arrange excursions for fishing, horseback riding, and hiking expeditions to the mountains. They have a shuttle bus for going to the city

Address: Burabai Resort, on the bank of Katarkol Lake Phone: 8 (71636) 4 55 97, 8 (71636) 4 62 91 Open: all over the year Zhumbaktas Sanatorium Description: Built in 2006, this newer resort is nestled in a pine forest, on beautiful Shchuchiye Lake, 10 kilometers from Shuchinsk. Amenities: modern furniture, Satellite TV, refrigerator, bathroom. Big on health treatments, they offer preventative services for respiratory system (bronchitis, tracheitis, bronchial asthma); circulatory system (heart disease, coronary heart disease); musculoskeletal (arthritis, polyarthritis, osteochondrosis); peripheral nervous system; urologic; and gastroenterology. Wellness programs include Sanatorium Treatment, Siberian Health, and Antlers Direction. Also onsite are sauna, bar, conference hall for 80 persons, fitness room, sports equipment rentals (bicycles, skis, table tennis, and badminton), DVD movies, and arrangement of various other excursions. Price includes: accommodation, 5 meals, medication (except for fee-paying), vitamin table (shubat (fermented camel’s milk).

Address: 17 Priozyornaya Street, Schuchinsk city (close to Burabai Village) Phone: 8 (71636) 4 50 30, 8 (71636) 9 03 26, 8 (71636) 9 03 40

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3/28/11 11:18:45 PM

Kazakhstan celebrates

Women’s Day Tradition Embodies Culture of Respect By David Witherspoon Yuri Bibikov of Almaty was only 12 and his brother Alexander 10 when they decided to do something special for the woman in their lives. The boys waited until their mother and father had left their apartment. Then they rushed about cleaning the place and making fried chicken, mashed potatoes and sponge cake. Predictably, Mom was surprised – and oh so pleased. Bibikov, now a 29-year-old web designer, said it was the most memorable Women’s Day he’s celebrated. Some would find that hard to believe, given that the 29-year-old Bibikov’s movie-star looks mean that over the years he’s celebrated the holiday with a bevy of girlfriends. (Not all at the same time, of course.) The beauty of Kazakhstan’s Women’s Day is that a guy can celebrate it with any or all of the women in his life – moms, grandmas, wives, daughters and girlfriends. Unlike Mother’s Day, which honours moms, and Valentine’s Day, which honours sweethearts, Women’s Day is for all women close to a man. It’s surprising to many that a holiday that ended up becoming so closely associated with the Soviet Union has American roots. At the turn of the last century, socialism was sweeping much of the world, and the Socialist Party of America declared the first Women’s Day in 1909. At the time, women made up a considerable chunk of the work force. Like their male counterparts, historians say, they were being exploited by industry. So the first Women’s Day was part of a union movement. Barnard College history Professor Rosalind Rosenberg said Women’s Day grew out of a 1908 “strike of some 15,000 women in the garment industry on the Lower East Side (of Manhattan) who were suffering low pay and terrible working conditions, and who walked off the job and protested.” Women’s Day faded in the United States, however, when its socialist sponsors opposed American entry into World War I. Meanwhile, the new Soviet Union embraced the day as part of an effort to guarantee women the right to work. Over the decades, the March 8 observance evolved into what one commentator called a “kind of socialist Valentine’s Day, with flowers and gifts” replacing calls for women’s rights. Today, it continues to be celebrated enthusiastically in Kazakhstan and the rest of the former Soviet Union. Men often give women a break from their household commitments on Women’s Day – cleaning, cooking and taking care of children, for example. And they take women to restaurants or movies. Some men go to special lengths to please their women. Almaty journalist Alexandra Babkina, 25, said her boyfriend, Dmitri Tolstobrov, a singer, performed John Turner’s song “Your Man” for her. “The lyrics of this song fit what is happening between me and him, and the way my beloved sang the song touched me a lot and made me feel very special,” she said. Reflecting the warmth of the holiday, President Nursultan Nazarbayev saluted women on March 8 of this year with an address that was respectful – and included a touch of humour. Nazarbayev said that not only are

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women a key to family stability, but they also make a huge contribution to the economy. Women account for 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, he said. He noted that 87 percent of medical staffs are women, a number of women serve in Parliament and many women hold local, regional or national government positions. The president said women spend more on themselves combined than the $1.3 billion that Kazakhstan spends on its military each year. “This is not surprising, as women need to achieve victory every day,” he smiled.e

Daughters, sisters, mothers and sweethearts all enjoy their special day – and specially grown tulips (below) fly off the market shelves.

3/28/11 11:19:01 PM

Kazakh mothers (top photo) gather around a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dastarkhan,â&#x20AC;? the traditional Nauryz table, while the younger generation also goes traditional.

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3/28/11 11:19:43 PM

Kazakhstan celebrates

Kazakhs Revive ‘Nauryz,’ Their Beloved Rites-of-Spring Celebration By David Witherspoon Soviet leaders suppressed the traditional Kazakh holiday of Nauryz for decades. The Kremlin did all it could to wipe out ethnic distinctions, believing they hindered the formation of a pure Marxist ideological state, and of a single “Soviet ethnicity”. Soviet leaders considered Nauryz, a celebration of spring, to be ethnic because only Central Asians and residents of the Caucasus observed it. It wasn’t until 1988, on the eve of the break-up of the Soviet Union, that Nauryz became a holiday again. It’s hard to describe Nauryz in a nutshell because it’s so multifaceted. But one thing’s for sure: It’s a beloved event to Kazakhs. Some call it the traditional New Year, but a rites-of-spring event is more appropriate. It starts on the vernal equinox day of March 21, when the hours of sunlight and darkness are about equal. The ancients saw the equinox as renewal – the end of the harsh winter and the beginning of spring. The milestone gave special cheer to those on the steppes, where howling winds and below-zero temperatures made life tenuous. The green grass that sprouted meant that the nomads could feed the livestock on which they based their existence. Now renewal means cleaning your house, settling your debts and forgiving those who’ve wronged you. Nauryz celebrations today are a mixture of old and new, ranging from preparing rich food to rock concerts. In fact, these days it seems that anything goes in marking Nauryz, with the prevailing rule being the more festive, the better. An American couple remembers being in the southern Kazakhstan city of Shymkent when Nauryz arrived a few years ago. Residents went around the city putting a new face on everything – cleaning yards and streets, painting fences and trimming trees. Then they put up gaudy decorations that seemed to have no theme. Some looked like Christmas decorations. There were even caricatures of the Disney cartoon character Shrek. Well, he’s green, after all – the color of spring. Two fixtures of Nauryz are feasting, starting with a tasty yogurt-like dish known as Nauryz kozhe, and the erecting of yurts, or traditional nomad homes. In recent years, very ornate yurts have replaced traditional ones at many Nauryz celebrations. Assel Tleuov, a 25-year-old public affairs specialist with the United Nations Development Programme in Astana, remembers going to Nauryz celebrations as a child with her grandfather, the mayor of the district in Kostanai Province where she lived. As mayor, Grandpa was invited into the best yurts – which meant the best food. Tleuov recalls that while her grandfather chatted with his friends, she and her brother raced through the crowds to find the next exciting sight or smell. These days, Nauryz centers around home rather than the town square – at least in Tleuov’s family. “My aunt makes that Nauryz kozhe, we make shashlik (grilled lamb) in the yard, and enjoy the day on our own,” she said. Nauryz observances of old used to feature a polo-like

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game called kokpar – and many cities have revived the tradition, to the delight of residents. The object of the game is to get a sheep’s carcass – the ball – down the field and into the opposing team’s goal. It’s a rough sport. The rider who grabs the carcass will find opponents trying to pull it away from him. If he breaks loose from the pack, carrying the carcass toward his opponents’ goal, he may find a blocking formation of rival horseback riders awaiting him. The rough contact between the opponents can resemble a rugby scrum – and can generate similar bumps and bruises. Another horseback tradition that has been revived on Nauryz is kyz kuu, the Catch and Kiss. It involves a male rider trying to chase down a female rider before her horse gets to a finish line. If he wins, he gets a kiss. If she wins, she gets to beat him with a horse whip. (Not too seriously, though, as the object of the game is to have fun.) For the whipped rider, of course, there’s always next year – if the object of his affection hasn’t gotten married by then, of course.e

“Nauryz Ata,” Kazakhstan’s icon of Nauryz.

3/28/11 11:20:03 PM

Kazakhstan’s most beloved ballerina of recent times has become a ballet teacher in London, thanks to her marriage to a Briton. But she did not forget a promise she made to her fans before heading to the U.K. Leila Alpiyeva has never forgotten her roots.

Beloved dancer

Returns to Kazakhstan

By David Witherspoon Kazakhstan’s most beloved ballerina of recent times has become a ballet teacher in London, thanks to her marriage to a Briton. But she did not forget a promise she made to her fans before heading to the U.K. Before leaving Kazakhstan two years ago, Leila Alpieva said that she wanted to continue returning to the country’s cultural capital of Almaty to perform, and she’s made good on that vow. Last year, the internationally acclaimed dancer said she’d spent about six months of the 24 months of 2009 and 2010

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in Almaty. Unless she changes her mind about continuing to return, both Kazakhs and the many foreigners who enjoy Almaty’s Abai Opera and Ballet Theater will get to see her perform for a while. The 37-year-old Alpieva hinted at one point that she wouldn’t mind dancing in London. “But it’s almost impossible at my age” to capture a leading role in a big company, she said. She did, however, dance with a troupe that took the “Nutcracker” to three cities in England in May of last year. Alpieva, who was the Abai Theater’s prima bal-

3/28/11 11:24:41 PM

To become a real ballet dancer, a person must devote his whole life to the profession.

lerina from 2000 to 2009, had always planned on teaching. But she thought it would be in Kazakhstan instead of Britain. Then Martin Andersen entered her life. Andersen, who had visited Kazakhstan to see a brother working for a Kazakh-British joint venture, was smitten with the tiny, graceful dancer with the beautiful face. They began dating, he proposed to her on stage at a performance in India, and they were married in 2008. Since they moved to Britain, she has been teaching at a Russian ballet school and a new ballet studio in London, and giving private lessons. Alpieva said she’s impressed with the fact that many middleaged and older British women have taken up ballet. While she sees girls as young as 4 dancing, she also sees grandmothers taking lessons. Alpieva said she was happy to discover that Almaty’s ballet performances compared in quality with Royal Ballet stagings in London. Kazakhstan’s artists are every bit as good as those in London, she maintains. The difference is that the Royal Ballet has a bigger budget for its performances. That means more luscious costumes and more stunning sets, she said. Like any ballet star, Alpieva has enjoyed the glamour of her profession and the adoration of fans. But there have been many tough moments in her career, she said. Some of them came when she was a member of the Slovakian national ballet in the capital of Bratislava in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. “This is a Slavic country, and audiences could not understand why the Giselle on their stage (the lead role in the production of the same name) had an Asian face,” Alpieva said. But she persevered, determined to win them over. Not only did the ballet-loving Slovaks embrace her, but she also became the company’s first ballerina. Alpieva made a choice at 19 that assured her path to stardom would be more difficult than that of many ballerinas: She had a son with her first husband, a Kazakh. Most ballerinas don’t have children because the life of a dancer is too demanding to handle both the art and home life. There are long hours of practice and constant physical and psychological strain.

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3/28/11 11:24:56 PM

Alpieva said she was happy to discover that Almaty’s ballet performances compared in quality with Royal Ballet stagings in London.

Alpieva’s mother Rosa helped the ballerina deal with the responsibilities of parenthood by taking care of her son Madi much of the time. Alpieva said her mother’s role in her success went far beyond helping with Madi, however. Her mother was the one who arranged for Alpieva to attend ballet school so she could follow her dream. Her mom also prepared meals that would keep her trim – a prerequisite for becoming a ballet star. Another part of Alpieva’s success was excellent ballet training – a hallmark of the former Soviet Union. She graduated from the Seleznev Almaty Choreography School and the Zhurgenov State Institute of Theater and Arts, both in Almaty. Those institutions gave her the skills to capture medals in several international ballet competitions. In 1991, Alpieva took third place at the Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest. Three years later she won the Maya Plisetskaya First International Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. She came in third in Bulgaria’s Varna International Ballet Competition in 1996, before winning the Tarlan Award as the best performing artist in Kazakhstan in 2000, and the Galina Ulanova Prize as the best ballerina in the country in 2002. The Ulanova Prize is named for the internationally renowned Russian ballet star. Alpieva said the role for which she is most famous is Kitri from “Don Quixote.” Although she would love to have played Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” she said she’s satisfied with the roles she’s been given. “I don’t

have a feeling of incompleteness,” she said. Alpieva cheered two years ago when Ramazan Bapov was named head of the Almaty Theater. Bapov, who held the title “People’s Artist of the Soviet Union,” was a choice that will well serve the ballet lovers in Almaty, she said. “He once rejected a proposal to work at the Bolshoi Theater (in Moscow),” she said. He’s also turned down an offer in the United States. “This is a courageous man” who, Alpieva said, has ambitious plans for the Almaty ballet. When Alpieva’s mother died in 2009 of a liver problem, the ballerina was devastated. Her mother, she said, was “my compass,” the person who provided her with the direction in her life. Alpieva thought about giving up performing in Kazakhstan forever, but relatives persuaded her to continue dancing in her homeland as a tribute to her mom. As good as ballet has been to Alpieva, she said she doesn’t want either of her sons – Madi, 15, or Marat, 2 – to take up the profession. “Ballet is a cruel art,” she said. “To become a real ballet dancer, a person must devote his whole life to the profession. Even if it takes a toll on his personal life.” In addition to the grueling physical demands, she said, “there is also immense psychological stress. If a performer does not go all out to become the character he is portraying, the audience will know it. Once you do immerse yourself into a character, however, you start bearing his pains — and I don’t want that to be my children’s destiny. I’m actually relieved that my oldest son has too big a body to enter a ballet school.” e

Alpiyeva’s fans hope she has at least one curtain call left for Kazakhstan.

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3/28/11 11:25:08 PM

73 Astana Circus Fountains

Upcoming Events April 3, 2011, Kazakhstan

Presidential Elections In early February President Nursultan Nazarbayev rejected the idea of a nationwide referendum to prolong his term in office until 2020. Upholding Kazakhstan’s commitment to democratic principles, he instead called for presidential elections a year earlier than scheduled in 2012. Election campaigning for the early elections this year started March 3 to end at midnight on April 1. Voting will start at 7 a.m. and finish at 8 p.m. April 3. Website: http://election.kz

“Ak Orda,” The presidential Palace

April 5-7, 2011, Atyrau

10th Atyrau Regional Oil, Gas & Infrastructure Exhibition The Atyrau Oil & Gas Exhibition has become a fixture of the resourcerich Mangystau region. It offers exhibitors the opportunity to introduce new projects and network with key regional players. Situated on the northern banks of the Caspian Sea, Atyrau provides access to three of the world’s largest oil and gas fields: Kashagan, Tengiz and Karachaganak. It is also the starting point for the pipeline that links the Caspian-area oil fields to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The exhibition is held alongside the 5th Oil Tech Atyrau Conference, April 5-6. Website: www.atyrauoilgas.com/2011/

April 29, 2011, Almaty

3rd Forum for Subsurface Users The forum will discuss “Legislation’s Application to Subsoil Use in Kazakhstan”. Topics will include the new Subsoil Law and related practical issues in 2010; environmental control in subsoil use; debt financing for subsoil users, developments in project finance and pre-export finance; and taxation and transfer pricing in subsoil use. Panelists will include representative of the Oil and Gas and Environment ministries, the Supreme Court, Statoil Kazakhstan, Credit Suisse and others. The forum is organized by the Grata Law Firm and the Herbert Smith International Law Firm. Website: http://www.gratanet.com/en/kazakhstan/news/2011/March/561

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3/29/11 12:03:58 AM

May 3-4, 2011, Astana

4th Astana Economic Forum This year’s forum will focus on “Global Challenges and Development Prospects.” Sessions will include: - The world after the crisis: engineering the world’s monetary and financial architecture; - New opportunities for global and regional integration; - Islamic financing: opportunities; - Transnational corporations in the economy: friends or enemies? - A dialogue between Nobel Prize winners and government officials; - Astana Consensus: Recommendations for the G20; - Eurasian Business Congress: mutually beneficial investment; - Innovation Congress: future technologies; - Small and Medium-sized Businesses: engine of the economy; - Economic implications of tourism in today’s world; - Quasi-state sector: its role in post-crisis development; - 20 Years of Independence: the foundation for Kazakhstan’s social and economic development; - Food security in Central Asia; - Green growth: Post-Kyoto prospects; The forum will seek new ways to revive and develop the world’s economy. Website: www.aef.kz

May 20-21, 2011, Astana

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Annual Conference The gathering is a forum for assessing the latest political, economic and social changes and business opportunities in Kazakhstan and the region. Delegates will be able to get up-to-the-minute facts and forecasts from the EBRD and participate in insightful discussions with policy-makers, business people and investors. A new Business Forum programme will be inaugurated this year with the theme “Supporting Markets – Asia Meets Europe”. The event will bring together investors, policy-makers, bankers, journalists, NGO representatives and government officials. Website: http://www.ebrd.com/pages/news/events/am_astana.shtml

June 7-9, 2011, Astana

7th World Islamic Economic Forum The World Islamic Economic Forum, based in Malaysia, was formerly known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference Business Forum. It was renamed for two reasons. The first was to include Muslim nations who are not members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The other was to include non-Muslim companies seeking to do business in the Muslim world. The forum brings together government leaders, captains of industry, scholars, regional experts, professionals and corporate managers to discuss opportunities for business partnerships in the Muslim world. This is the first time the forum will be held in Central Asia. Website: www.wief.org.my

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June 15, 2011, Astana

Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Kazakhstan will host the 10th anniversary summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. India, Pakistan and Iran have observer status with the SCO, while Belarus and Sri Lanka are partners for cooperation. Among other things, the organization has created mechanisms to help its members combat crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, and to promote multilateral economic cooperation. Website: www.sco2011.kz/message/en.php

June 20-23, 2011, Almaty

4th Central Asia Mining Congress The congress is an important gathering of Central Asian mining policy-makers, international and regional mining leaders, investors, financiers and analysts. It is the key platform for all mining stakeholders seeking updates on the region’s mines and mining policies. Speakers will include senior executives from: Samruk-Kazyna, Cameco Corporation, AREVA, Rio Tinto, POSCO, Ivanhoe Mines, Kazakhmys and other corporations. Website: http://www.terrapinn.com/2011/central-asia-mining/index.stm

June 28-30, 2011, Astana

38th Session of the Organization of Islamic Countries Council of Foreign Ministers Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) follows by a half year its successful 2010 chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It hopes to

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75 intensify and broaden ties among OIC nations and launch initiatives to foster international cooperation, peace and economic development. The organization’s goal is to become the collective voice of the Muslim world, safeguarding the interests and ensuring the progress and well-being of Muslims. Website: http://www.oic-oci.org/

September 2011, Kazakhstan

Senate Election

Kazakhs elect half of the 40 non-appointed members of the upper chamber of Kazakhstan’s Parliament every three years. The president appoints seven senators. A term in the Senate lasts six years. Website: http://election.kz

October 5-8, 2011, Almaty

KIOGE 2011

The Kazakhstan International Oil and Gas Exhibition has long been Central Asia’s largest and most influential petroleum-industry event. KIOGE actually is both a conference and exhibition. The annual gathering has introduced more than 5,000 companies to the regional market, sponsors say. Website: http://www.kioge.com/2011/

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October-November 2011, Astana and Almaty

17th Session of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan This year’s gathering will focus on preparations for the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence in December 2011. The Assembly is a consultative body whose goal is promoting the rights of all citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, language or social status. Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic state, and the Assembly works to promote the cultures, languages and traditions of all its ethnic groups and to foster peaceful coexistence among them. Website: http://www.assembly.kz/

December 16, 2011, Kazakhstan

20th Anniversary of the Independence of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan declared itself an independent nation on December 16, 1991. Nursultan Nazarbayev became the country’s first president. Since independence, Kazakhstan has pursued a balanced foreign policy and worked to develop its economy. The years since independence have been marked by significant reforms – economic, political and social. The country has enjoyed significant economic growth since 2000, largely because of its large oil, gas and mineral reserves. Kazakhstan is now considered the leading country in Central Asia, and its international prestige is growing. In 2010, it chaired the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In 2011, it will assume the annual chairmanship of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference.

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Restaurants

Al Fresco

ver the past 13 years, a remarkable range of talented chefs have flocked to Astana from Italy, France, Ukraine, South Africa and elsewhere. Some of them are absolute masters, for whom cooking is a performance art. Accordingly, the city’s standards for fine dining have risen like a luxury high-rise on the Astana skyline. And why would a high-end restaurateur import such gastronomic talent, and not give the audience a fitting theatre in which to enjoy it? Exactly. That’s why in Astana you’ll find stunning motifs dreamed up by worldrenowned visionaries of restaurant design. As one would expect from just looking at the Astana skyline, or considering Kazakhstan’s geographical whereabouts, Astana is also teeming with a gamut of culinary disciplines – a true confluence of the rec-

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ognizable and the obscure. Just since our last issue, a variety of new restaurants have opened here, spanning Chinese, East Asian and Russian, to German and Central European cuisine. The latest and most upscale restaurants can be found in “Restaurant Row,” the new section of the city rising on the left bank of the Yessil River. Then there is “Restaurant Alley” on Turan Avenue, known for an ethnic variety of Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Korean, Uzbek and Italian hostelries. The restaurants on the “Right” Bank of the Ishim are older and more established. Astana residents call this area “The Horse District,” so named for the equestrian stature of Khan Kenessary that looms over the river and embankment. If you are new to Astana, the very process of probing the dining scene

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77 Beerhoff

is entertaining. And despite the glowing references above, you don’t have to go broke doing it. Because as fast as the high-end dining scene emerges, so too rises an equal diversity of middling and low-priced locales. Such gems abound all over the city – you’d almost need a GPS to track them all – offering up fare from foreign to regionally traditional, and providing vastly different settings for families, business and romance. The only limits of your dining experience in Astana will be the result of self-limitations. Austeria Description: After the December 2010 edition of Edge, this successful Almaty chain restaurant extended its reach to Astana – and it has not disappointed. So extensive is the fare, that the restaurant’s website lists 17 different menus to cover it all. Think classic Russian dishes with a good dose of French haute influence, recreating the culinary traditions of late-Czarist Imperial St. Petersburg. Then throw in some Western taste, and you have an adult-ready, kid-friendly mesh of what the Czars may have done if they set out to create their own version of an upscale Ruby Tuesdays. Expect a menu of clay-baked lamb and veal, a steak list with more than 20 entrees, seafood, plus bar food and a children’s menu. And just when you think it’s over, they roll the dessert menu out. There’s even a hookah flavor selection that’s 50 percent off on Wednesday nights. You can enjoy phenomenal wine and spirits and live music, too. Takeout and delivery is available. Take a look at the delivery menu on their website, but it’s also worth

coming here just to see the fantastic and unusual interior.

Cuisine: European Address: 8 Vodno-Zelenyi Boulevard in the Keruen Shopping Center Phone: 8 (7172) 79 55 13 Hours: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Price Range: $$ Website: www.austeria.net/ Al Fresco Description: If you crave some traditional Italian food – whether staple favorites common in Europe and America, to authentic specialty dishes – this menu is sure to satisfy. The chef prides himself in diversity, and loves to mix things up with surprise offerings or accommodating special requests. The attentive staff is really the ones responsible for the great atmosphere here. Al Fresco is perfect for a power lunch, a business dinner, a date or for a child’s birthday. Service is fast, so if you want you can eat and be out in 30 minutes, but you very well may choose to linger through the afternoon or evening over wine and/ or coffee.

Cuisine: Italian

Address: 14 Kunayeva Street Phone: 8 (7172) 50-83-85 Hours: 10:00 am – 12:00 am Business lunch: 12:00 pm – 04:00 pm Price range: $$ Arbalet If you would like to forget the mundane for a while and pretend you are back in the Dark Ages or in the Arctic North, this is the place for you. Arbalet has a Viking theme with traditional tall, heavy chairs, stone walls, swords and axes on the walls. It is easy to get to and stays open 24 hours a day. Arbalet is not cheap, but the ambiance is wonderfully romantic, and the food is consistently good.

Cuisine: European Address: 16 Beibitshilik Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 32 40 60 Price: $$$ Arystan Restaurant

Alasha

Most European-style restaurants in Astana are relatively expensive. This one is not, even though it has an impressive interior. Anyone looking for casual dining will like Arystan, and students can afford it.

Cuisine: European

Address: 2 Aykayryn Street Phone: 8 (7172) 29 20 36 Price range: $ Assorti This popular chain has many outlets all over Kazakhstan (including small ones at the Astana and Almaty airports) and an impressive range of cuisine served at reasonable prices. (Of all other places, Assorti has now been open in Arlington, Virginia, just across the street of Hell’s Burger, frequented by Barack Obama.) It serves a mixture of Italian, Japanese, Russian and European. The décor and atmosphere are routine, but you can consistently count on good food and good service. Assorti has some of the best pizza, pasta and salads compared to similar franchises in Kazakhstan. The grill is pretty good, too. It is also large, and is often packed at nights, especially weekends. Assorti has buffets during the day.

Cuisine: Russian, Italian, Japanese Address: 9 Dostyk Street (right behind Ramstore) Phone: 8 (7172) 79 53 97 Price range: $$

(Please note: the telephone numbers listed here are for dialing in Astana from a cell phone. For more information on making telephone calls, please see the “Practical Information When in Kazakhstan” section.)

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78 Beijing Palace

Astana Nury When you have something to celebrate, this is the place to come. It is easily one of the best restaurants in town with excellent service, a sophisticated, elegant atmosphere and a splendid range of shish kebabs (45 different varieties of shashlyk, including vegetarian). In all, it has 150 selections on the menu. It also has delicious desserts. You will get a 20% discount on the entire menu for lunch, on weekdays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. With a slice of sophisticated 1920s Cole Porter Paris effortlessly transported to the heart of Central Asia, the music alone is worth the trip, and the price. The restaurant is located on the new embankment of the Yessil River with a spectacular view of the cityscape. It is particularly nice in the summer, when you can sit on the veranda and watch people walking along the river, as well as view the lights from the amusement park. Because of its proximity to the river, it’s a big spot for special occasions such as weddings.

Cuisine: Caucasian, European Address: 3/2 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 43 93 38/39

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Price range: $$$ Website: www.a-n.kz Beerhoff Description: As the name suggests, prepare for a genuine culinary journey through Deutschland and Mitteleuropa (Central Europe). The owners have captured the spirit of these regions’ famous beerhouses superbly, presenting an earthy atmosphere and a hearty selection of juicy sausages, steaks and grilled meats. If you are a beer connoisseur, or simply a beer lover, this is your place: You’ll find here one of the better selections of draught beer in Astana, especially of the German persuasion.

Cuisine: European Address: 44 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 21 00 10, 8 (7172) 21 00 40 Hours: 11am - 2am Price Range: $ Bochonok Brewery For German and Mitteleuropa visitors seeking gemutlechkeit cuisine, or American and Russian engineers thirsty for good beer and food (especially meat), we recommend the Bochonok. Styled after an old European brewery, this restaurant

offers a wide variety of beers and has solid and large menu. It sometimes offers grill specials, and it is not too pricey.

Cuisine: European, mixed Address: 75 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 37 16 66 Price range: $$ Website: www.bochonok.kz Capital Music and Pub Restaurant

prices and good value for portions don’t hurt either. The main room seats about 30 people, and it has a small VIP hall for 10. It’s conveniently located close to the Baiterek Tower, and they deliver as well.

Cuisine: Pizza, European, Italian Address: 33 Sarayshik Street Phone: 8 (7172) 50 37 73 Price range: $

For middle-aged partiers in search of a good time, you can’t do better than the Capital. Located in Astana’s spectacular new left bank, not far from Baiterek Tower, it has live music featuring popular Russian and international songs. You can also sing karaoke in the VIP room. The VIP room gets booked early on weekends, so call early if you want to sing with your friends.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh Address: 14 Tauelydzyk Street Phone: 8 (7172) 24 46 71 Price range: $$ Chilli Peppers No local atmosphere here! This is as Western frenetic as they come, which makes it a very popular pizza place for young people. The low

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79 East West A fascinating mix of 21st century sophisticated cuisine and 20th century caution in its décor, East West offers both general international and excellent Indian cuisine. The interior retains a pre-independence style. A must see if you are interested in Soviet décor. (I have been to this place two or three times but I never noticed it retains pre-independence style. And you want: because it does not. ;-) Please change that.

Cuisine: Indian, International Address: 2/2 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 24 40 34 Price range: $$ Egorkino Derevnya Located in Restaurant Alley, Egorkino Derevnya is a part of a hotel with the same name. It’s not cheap, but you can get good Russian food here, usually much better than you would find in many parts of Russia. It has excellent meat and very good salads, as well as fish, like sturgeon. Since it opened, this restaurant has maintained a high standard of cuisine. It has two floors and a garden area with a Russian-village theme and heavy wooden doors. It is open from 12:00 to midnight.

Cuisine: Russian Address: 33 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 21 81 Price range: $$$ Epoch Anyone who misses the Cold War or still loves old John Le Carre novels has to make a stop here. Epoch has a décor evocative of the Soviet Union – and revels in it. Old Russian-made

cars are parked inside and out. This is a great theme restaurant with public and private rooms, depicting Soviet-era flags and icons. Some areas have glass floors with memorabilia underneath. The food is bold and innovative, and the menu includes whole-cooked fresh fish, goose and rabbit, all at reasonable prices. It’s a great place to party with live music and dancing on the weekends. A very good value.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh, Russian Address: 9 Valikhanov Street Phone: 8 (7172) 21 01 57 Price range: $$ Europe-Asia Good, solid value and quality food, neither too cheap nor too expensive, with a solid selection of European and Kazakh dishes.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh Address: 30 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 62 87 43 Price range: $$ Farkhi/ Ali Baba With its big yurt-shaped building, this place is great fun, and the perfect place to bring kids. Everyone loves the Ali Baba, located just off the big curve of the Yessil Embankment. Serving traditional Kazakh and Uzbek food, with excellent service, it is over-the-top festive nomad in style and décor with the waiting staff in traditional costumes. Kids can play in the lavish indoor playground, which Walt Disney couldn’t have done any better. The garden terrace is popular in summer, with fountains and private cabins. Business people and food lovers fly up from Almaty to savor the fantastic food. It’s known to get busy, especially on weekends. Try their chebureks (a pastry with meat inside); warm and fresh, they are spectacular. It’s a little pricey here, but well worth it. No trip to Astana is complete until you’ve dined there.

Cuisine: Caucasian, Kazakh, Middle Eastern Address: 3 Bukeykhan Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 04 06 Price range: $$$ French Brasserie Capri

Alasha

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A Real Uzbek Experience...In Astana Alasha restaurant is a must for anyone wanting a real Central Asian experience in every sense of the word. Designed in traditional Uzbek fashion, the venue delivers much more to the senses than its indulgent culinary offerings. The full appeal of an evening at Alasha lies in its singular design, fascinating menu and inventive theatrics. From the mosaic-lined walls of the grand entrance, to the vastly open main dining area – complete with a stage for the evening’s performers – Alasha takes you back in time to the era of lavish yet classic Uzbek interiors. Although offering both Kazakh and Uzbek menu items, there is a distinct countenance toward Uzbek delicacies. Patrons are known to favor the variety of traditional Uzbek “Plovs,” similar to rice Pilafs cooked with grated carrot, chick peas, raisins and succulent lamb. They also go for a variety of Shalyks cooked over an open fire, or the traditional samsa and manty boiled or baked with fillings of mince meat, vegetables and herb patties. Although all these dishes are equally Kazakh, the recipes at Alasha are deeply rooted in Uzbek tradition. The waiter service is both pleasant and attentive, and this quality extends to the nightly entertainment. The fact is, Alasha is only half restaurant. It’s as much like a night out at the theatre as it is going to an eatery. While your taste buds are tickled, your eyes and ears are treated to a mosaic of the Central Asian region’s traditional dance, live music, and folklore soliloquies. Then there are the belly dancers, who wiggle in traditional garb, enchanting wide-eyed patrons much to their delight. During the summer the outdoor section of the restaurant morphs into the main dining area. Tables populate the open courtyard atmosphere, and the entertainers perform under the stars, amid the gentle glow of candle light. All told, Alasha is a highly recommended venue, and a must experience for all when visiting Astana. But the place is no secret, so be sure to reserve a table for the 9pm nightly entertainment or you will miss out on the show.

Alasha Restaurant 29, Turan Avenue, Left Bank of the Yessil River, Astana Phone: 8 (7172) 73 17 73 Web site: www.alasha.kz Hours: 12:00 – 24.00 Price range: $$

Located in the Radisson Hotel alongside the Yessil River, this is another one of the best restaurants in Central Asia. Cuisine is limited in scope and there is no ethnic taste to it. But if you fly in straight from Cannes, you’ll feel right at home. The Mediterranean cuisine is

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Fusion Generates Energy and Dining Delight By Alex Walters Fusion Restaurant Fashion Night Club 4 Maylina Street, Astana E-mail: fusionbar@mail.ru <mailto:fusionbar@mail.ru> Web site: www.fusion.com.kz Phone: 8 (7172) 222-777 Want your steak grilled to the highest Argentinean standards? Or are you in the mood for sea-food medleys caught by Greek fishermen? Homesick for sushi prepared to Ginza perfection? If you’re in Astana, you’ll always go to the same place. In only a year, master chef Abel Ncube has made the Fusion Restaurant on 4 Maylina Street the hottest and most acclaimed eating spot in Astana. So hot is Fusion that President Nursultan Nazarbayev himself has dined there, and the government of Kazakhstan contracted the restaurant, among only a few, to cater for last December’s summit of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which was hosted in Astana. Through skillful design, Fusion alternates between serving as a familyfriendly luxury restaurant by day, and one of the top night spots in the city, with its own “Fashion” nightclub downstairs. Fusion’s main restaurant is American - Hollywood style, but it presents Japanese sushi and Italian pasta with equal aplomb. French cuisine and Tex-Mex dishes are also available from the restaurant’s eclectic menu. Fashion hip-hops and jumps on Friday and Saturday nights, where the crowd tends to be on the younger, swinging end of the scale. If you want to make a swathe in Astana’s night scene, this is the place to start. Upstairs, on one end of the restaurant, the dining room is dominated by an enormous 12-foot-high, color-photo of a bearded Arnold Schwarzenegger clad in a black, silky tuxedo. Arnie’s eyes are twinkling and he’s giving the “let’s

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have fun” thumbs up sign to Fusion’s patrons. Facing Schwarzenegger from the other end of the restaurant – in relaxed, laid back tolerance – are 18th century portraits of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. As both men, in the historical record, always liked to have a good time, the choice of them suggests some shrewd calls on behalf of the world-class interior decorators who dreamed up the place. Steak is one of Chef Ncube’s specialties, and his preparation style is as special as what Fusion’s owners give him to work with. That would be nothing but the highest-quality meat in the world, flown in from Australia and the Midwestern United States. The same is true of the seafood, which also is well travelled, as it jets in fresh from Greece. The high-standards of import most definitely have their intended effect: The Australian steak is excellent, and the sushi is the best anywhere in Central Asia. A native of South Africa, Chef Ncube clearly is a fast learner, for his traditional Kazakh and Russian dishes are remarkably accomplished. The platter of sausages from beef, chicken, mutton and horsemeat are an exercise in pleasurable culinary adventure. And first time visitors to Central Asia or the former Soviet republics should not leave without sampling the lamb shashlyk prepared in Caucasian-style sauce. Ncube’s fish soup and sea food medleys are simply masterful as well – sea bass, shrimp, scallops, mussels, eel, and salmon are all staples. The salmon, mussels and sole prepared with white wine and saffron are exceptional. Aside from its singular dishes, a meal at Fusion brings with it some theatrics, perhaps an unintended yet perfect irony given the restaurant’s Hollywood Americana theme. As fate would have it, Chef Ncube is a friendly extrovert, and his grill is open to view from diners on three sides. With a performance artist’s awareness, he produces his masterpieces with a flourish in full public view. His show only adds to the anticipation of your own dish resting in front of you. Young and accomplished far beyond his years, Ncube nonetheless is engagingly modest about his achievements. He attributes his success to his obsession with continually purchasing and preparing fresh ingredients. “I prepare quickly while everything’s still fresh,” he says. He also encourages feedback from his clientele. They, he says, are his best teachers. “That’s the best way to learn, from your clients,” he says. “I’m always asking them, “How do you like it? What else would you like? Can I do better?” Even supposedly routine starters have a creative edge to them. The smoked salmon is delightful astringent with a touch of basil and other seasonings. Fusion’s goulash – usually a hearty dish often ruined by being prepared too heavy and stodgy – is as light and sharp as a classic consommé. This atypical trait is nothing short of a truly unique achievement, but the inimitable nature of Fusion’s cuisine doesn’t stop there. Ncube is also rightly proud of his hearty and ample salads. His particular favorite, the “Fusion Salad,” is prepared with a sauce that is still a highly guarded house secret. No one should leave Fusion without sampling the desserts, for here, too, Ncube surpasses himself. He eschews the temptation of so many otherwise first-class maestros to coast on the dessert by piling on the sugar. The precision of his artistic craftsmanship on the Italian fruit cake is extraordinary – I have not sampled better in Rome or Milan. My companions recommended Viennese Black Forest chocolate biscuits, German Apfel Strudel, and the Napoleon-layered, French cream tarts as equally felicitous choices. If such precision and excellence seems beyond the appreciation of the little ones, worry not, for Fusion really is a great place to take the entire family. In keeping with Fusion’s iconic themes, Jiminy Cricket and Snow White of Disney fame will guide the kids through a children’s menu that is stacked high with pizzas and burgers. Meanwhile, their parents can get on with the more serious business of dining in culinary heaven, and quenching their thirst with equally splendorous adult beverages – as in the kinds that take the edge off when we bring our little angels to a restaurant. The well-stocked bar will even produce for you a Johnnie Walker Blue Label, while German and other Mitteleuropa visitors seeking a touch of “gemutlechkeit” will find Bitburger beer available on draught.

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81 outstanding. This is also one of the prime locales for sophisticated partiers on a Friday night. Expensive, but worth every tenge.

Cuisine: Mediterranean Address: 4 Sary Arka Avenue, Radisson Hotel Phone: 8 (7172) 99 00 00 Price range: $$$ Fusion Another five-star location for the social set and the hard partiers, Fusion combines traditional world cuisines, and is a classy, top-level restaurant right above the Fashion night club. One unusual feature is that the restaurant sports three main rooms with a different ethnic menu in each (American Steak House, Italian Grill and Japanese), so select your preference before sitting down. The Japanese room is particularly interesting with small wooden bridges over “rivers” of small white stones, surrounded by a wall of glass. The VIP-Fusion room has extra-comfortable furniture and a large plasma TV screen as well as karaoke. Free Wi-Fi.

Cuisine: American, Italian, Japanese Address: 4B Mailina Street Phone: 8 (7172) 22 27 77 Price range: $$ Grilliage Restaurant As the name indicates, this is a refuge for carnivores, not vegetarians, and it offers a wide range of reasonably priced grills in the local, European and Russian styles. Russian cuisine in grilling meat, when done well, is excellent and unique, not to be missed.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh, Russian Address: 1 Zhenis Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 52 22 Price range: $$ Il Patio and Planet Sushi This is part of a chain of Italian-Japanese restaurants, which means you get reliability and predictability. Il Patio was the first restaurant with a nice salad bar in Kazakhstan, and offers good pizza, pasta and other Italian favorites, and it has a great dessert menu. At all Il Patio locations, you can order sushi on the pizza side, or pizza on the Planet Sushi side, or mix it up. They play background Italian music in Il Patio and Japanese music in Planet Sushi. Il Patio-Planet Sushi remains one of the most popular choices for takeout and delivery across Kazakhstan.

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Epoch

Cuisine: Pizza, Italian Address: 24 Turan Avenue (Saryarka Shopping Center) and 10 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 79 22 03 Price range: $$

Cuisine: Uzbek, European Address: 22/2 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue, Kruglaya Ploshad Phone: 8 (7172) 974 161 or 974 142 Hours: Daily, 12:00 pm to 2:00 am Price range: $

Jet Set

Korean House

One of the oldest “new” restaurants in Astana, Jet Set opened after the city became the new capital. Reliable European cuisine served in the median price bracket.

A part of Restaurant Alley. There are

now a lot of South Koreans working at any one time in Kazakhstan, not to mention the fact that there are a lot of people who simply adore Korean food, so this restaurant does a healthy amount of business. It also offers a good introduction to Korean cuisine. The restaurant says its chefs have been trained by great

Cuisine: European Address: 2/1 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 24 29 04 Price range: $$ Kausar Restaurant Well worth exploring, Kausar offers European and Kazakh food prepared according to Halal standards and very-reasonably priced. This restaurant is far from the new city centre, so be ready for a drive.

Cuisine: Halal Address: 5th Microdistrict, 20/1 Phone: 8 (7172) 34 34 70 Price range: $ Kishlak Kishlak is another super-comfortable Uzbek spot with a really interesting interior, with streams running inside and raised platforms and comfortable cushions. The waiting staff is dressed in Uzbek national garb. The lagman is popular, and comes in clay pots. This place is packed with business people for lunch, but is kind of a party spot during weekends.

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82 Samovar

Melnica “The Windmill” Located in Restaurant Alley, Melnica offers traditional Ukrainian country home-cooked style food. Decorated like a traditional Ukrainian farm house, in the summer the garden is used to grow vegetables, including tomatoes, corn, pumpkins and herbs. Tables and private dining areas are scattered about the garden among the vegetables. The maître d’ is well known as a character in the Astana restaurant world. When you leave, you get a small bag of sunflower seeds.

Cuisine: Ukrainian Address: 31 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 21 68 Price range: $$ Muller If good German sausages and a beer are what you’re looking for then Muller is the place for you. The venue is separated into two main hall providing live jazz and serving a variety of European and German staples. A relaxed atmosphere, Muller is a great place for lazy weekend afternoons over a beer and a snack whilst enjoying some sporting favorites on giant TV screens. masters from South Korea, and the service is excellent.

Cuisine: Korean Address: 19/1 Sary Arka Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 20 99 Price range: $$ La Riviere One of the most expensive restaurants in Astana, but worth every penny: Exclusive atmosphere, exquisite food. It has a cigar room and two VIP-halls – one seating 12 people, and another small one for 4 – while a live pianist provides atmosphere. The only stipulation for the dress code is “no sportswear”. La Riviere also has a children’s menu, a nice fireplace and you can also order Kalyan.

Cuisine: French Address: 2 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue (near Quay Park) Phone: 8 (7172) 24 22 60 Price range: $$$ Line Brew This is another dining place that looks like a medieval castle from the outside (actually built in a transformed old water tower). But

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there’s a very cozy atmosphere inside with an open spit-grill where you can watch the meat cooking. This restaurant offers a wide range of shish kebabs. It’s popular among foreigners, yet quite pricey. Line Brew has some of the best steaks and barbecue in Kazakhstan, which are often cooked over open flame. It also has great fondue and has extensive wine list. This is also a place known for its selection of beer. It salads are made artfully. You can see some live music here, but it is not overwhelmingly loud.

Music: wallpaper music, jazz, alive Cuisine: German & European Address: 12/1 Gabdulina Phone: 7(7172) 41 19 30, 41 19 32 Opening hours: Mon.-Fri: 11am-midnight, Sat:11am-2am Average price: $ Pivovaroff If you’re feeling cold or blue, this is the place to come to replenish your soul with traditionally hearty German food and beer. The restaurant is decorated in a traditional German country atmosphere, but the music is livelier. On Fridays and Saturdays,

you can enjoy live Jazz and Blues. On weekdays there is an all-youcan-eat buffet.

Cuisine: German Address: 1 Beibitshilik Avenue Phone: 8 (7212) 41 15 62 Price: $$ Portofino This high-end establishment is considered one of the top Italian restaurants in Astana. It also diversifies with great confidence into the vastly different Japanese cuisine as well. Located in Restaurant Alley.

Cuisine: Italian, Japanese Address: 27 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 20 34 Price range: $$$ Princess Turandot Reasonably-priced and a magnet for visiting Chinese businessmen and engineers, the Princess Turandot chain is famous for offering large portions of very good Chinese food. Princess Turandot first opened in Almaty at the Auezov Theater in 1998, and because of its high valuefor-money, it is also one of the most popular take-out restaurants. Everything is prepared by skilled chefs from China. Located on the Right Bank of the Yessil River.

Cuisine: Chinese Address: 40 Sary Arka Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 23 70 55 Price range: $$ Regine’s Located across the street from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the same building as Jimmy’z, Regine’s caters to an older clientele. Its atmosphere is formal and conducive to business lunches and dinners. It’s the perfect place to impress your guests and negotiate a contract. This is a good place to dress up a bit for the occasion.

Cuisine: European, Caucasian Address: 20 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 23 63 73 Price range: $$$ Medved This is a very Russian style restaurant with rustic décor. Gazprom executives may not dine here but you could easily imagine they would.

Cuisine: Russian Address: 46 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 21 28 75 Price range: $$

Austeria

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83 Regine’s

Fusion Chef’s Success is a Merger of Tolerance and Cultures By Alex Walters

Cuisine: French, European, Kazakh Address: Astanalyk Business Centre, Left Bank Phone: 8 (7172) 50 21 33 Price range: $$ Samovar Samovar is another place with two locations that are very popular with locals. The layout gives you a bit of privacy, as it’s divided into small sections with curtains covering the booths. It serves up home-cooked style traditional Russian food. It has quite a selection of soups, meats and blini, while Compote is always available. It’s often packed for lunch.

Cuisine: Russian Traditional Address: 22/2 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue, Kruglaya Ploshad, as well as 24 Kenessary Street (near the Sine Tempore Shopping Mall) Phone: 8 (7172) 974 171 Hours: Daily, 12:00 pm to 2:00 am Satti This is good restaurant with good portions of delicious food, and they also feature special entertainment programs. The centre of the

Satti

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Abel Ncube, master chef at Fusion, one of the hottest new restaurants in Astana, is a living embodiment of the benefits of globalism and the spirit of the new Kazakhstan. At only 29, the South African-born Ncube is already on the way to making his reputation as one of the most brilliant young chefs across the continent of Asia. His globetrotting edification in the exacting craft of culinary arts has dotted him across Africa, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and now to Asia. In Argentina and England he studied the preparation and grilling of steaks to perfection. And just as the best and brightest MBA students are snagged up by Fortune 500 companies, Ncube was then recruited to one of ritzy Abu Dhabi’s finest restaurants, where he honed his artistry to the highest of international standards. After his time in the Middle East, he spread his wings for a couple of years at a prestigious Almaty restaurant, before being wooed to Astana by the challenge of launching Fusion in February 2010. Gourmets and food critics in Astana agree that since Ncube opened business with Fusion a year ago, he has raised the culinary standard in the city to a whole new level. For his part, the admiration is mutual. “From as soon as I arrived, I was made to feel at home here,” he says. “The Kazakh people are friendly, warm, hospitable and welcoming. I’m doing well, and I like it here.” Genial, generous and outgoing, there is another key to Ncube’s dynamic impact on Fusion - one that cannot be taught in any culinary school, or indoctrinated by any of the world’s most famous chefs. It’s that Ncube exudes his personal warmth like the South African sun, and after just a few minutes with him, you feel it. There is no fakeness about him, or his salt-of-the-earth pride, minus pretention, that one only finds in Africa. He says he is flourishing now in Astana – a rather fitting time and place for him, as the city is among the worlds youngest and fastest growing capital cities, and in many ways, Kazakhs actually are a lot like him. “In some restaurants, the chefs won’t talk to the clientele at all, but I love to,” Ncube says. “I’m always out there. I like to learn from my clients. That’s how I learn more! You want something done differently? Tell me! I’ll do it! Feel free! And tomorrow I’ll cook it for you. That way, we’ll both be happy.” As is his humble nature, Ncube modestly plays down his own artistic genius, although no one else would. He unhesitatingly credits his restaurant’s director, Anatole Danilovich, for Fusion’s stunning success. “We have a great director. Anatole is wonderful,” he says. But it’s

clear that for all of Danilovich’s exceptional skill at creating the décor and driving spirit of the place, the excellence of the restaurant and its dishes are riding the wave of Ncube’s remarkable talent and character. Ncube is tirelessly conscientiousness in both the preparation and cooking process, as well as the critical element of training those under him. The latter is no small part of Ncube’s influence on Fusion, as so many famous chefs are notoriously bad teachers, given to rants and destructive eccentricities that prevent them from imparting their knowledge to subordinates. “I work closely with all my assistants, always. I’m always teaching people how to prepare each and every dish,” he says about training his cadre of capable assistants. “You have to always keep your eye on the quality of what you are preparing at every stage of the process. You can’t let it go. I always work with fresh ingredients and I insist on having them prepared quickly.” Ncube admits he is the kind of passionate workaholic who does not leave his work behind at the office. In reality, he’s always on the job, as all his hobbies and spare time center around advancing his craft. “I certainly have to put in the hours here. I work six days a week and I take off a maximum of one month a year. On my holidays I’m always exploring new places to dine, and finding new dishes to prepare. I surf the Web, and I visit restaurants all around Astana.” Without realizing it, Ncube is on his way to becoming an icon of Astana’s emerging culinary excellence. But there’s more to his story. Another revealing aspect is how Astana’s well-heeled patrons have embraced both him and Fusion. Even during the darkest times of Soviet rule, when Soviet people of various ethnic backgrounds were banished to Kazakhstan with nothing but the clothes on their backs, Kazakhstan – and Kazakhs – have long been known for tolerance and the embracement of diversity. That a young man from Africa has been so embraced as a new standard-bearer for Kazakhstan’s centuries-old culinary culture, is an equally important fascination of Ncube’s remarkable affair with Astana. For Ncube, it’s that very embracement that both drives him, and makes peace with his decision to come here. ”I came here for a change. I didn’t fear a challenge. And it’s already paid off,” says Ncube, beaming with awareness and introspection. “We know we’ve already made an impact here. We’re a success. We’re the best at what we do, and the clientele loves us. That’s the greatest satisfaction for me. “ Sounds like a simple and logical satisfaction. But the story of Abel Ncube and Kazakhstan is about much more than a great restaurant, and it’s just beginning to be written.

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84 restaurant is beautifully decorated like an opera stage, and offers excellent acoustics for entertainers who sing both traditional Kazakh and popular international ballads. A host introduces the entertainment, which includes comedy and music. It serves breakfast, as well as a business lunch for 1,700 tenge, and offers a separate children’s menu. With good service, it’s a strong choice for holding special banquets. It seats 350 people, and has a VIPhall for 30.

Cuisine: Kazakh, International Address: 32 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 24 28 48 Price range: $$$ Sbarro If you’ve eaten in one of these in any airport in the United States, you know what you’re going to get. Far from haute cuisine, but honest Italian staples, competently-cooked and reasonably priced. Sbarro is a quick place to get an inexpensive meal, and is situated in the Mega Centre shopping mall.

Cuisine: Pizza and pasta Address: 1 Kurgaldzhinskoe Highway (Mega Centre) Phone: 8 (7172) 79 14 97 Price range: $

Zhybek Zholy Thank God It’s Friday (T.G.I. Friday’s) If you are from the United States, feeling homesick or cultureshocked, then this is the place to come. Predictable chain restaurant fare and not that cheap, but you’ll always get what you expect. Places like this are good for bumping into

foreign friends, and it’s also very popular with local Kazakhs. The menu is very close to the American version.

Cuisine: American Address: 10 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 79 30 30 Price range: $$ Tiflis Georgia is known as the “Italy of the Caucus,” although Georgian cuisine is little known outside the former Soviet Union. But is has always been famous for its hearty opulence. Tiflis is a good place to discover it.

Cuisine: Georgian Address: 14 Imanova Street Phone: 8 (7172) 22 12 26 Price range: $$ Tre Kronor This traditional brewery/restaurant/ pub serves up northern European cuisine in a romantic setting that the 19th century poets would have loved. Located in Restaurant Alley, you can’t miss it: It looks like a Scandinavian traditional house from the outside. Very expensive, but nonetheless, a popular lunch and weekend spot. Also a good choice for doing business.

Cuisine: European Address: 17 Sary Arka Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 20 50 Price range: $$$ Vaquero Anyone dreaming of char-broiled, Latin American style grill will not

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be disappointed by this authentic replication of Latino fare – simply muy bueno!

Cuisine: Mexican, Italian Address: 5 Beibitshilik Street Phone: 8 (7172) 39 01 21 Price range: $$ Venice Located in the Sine Tempore shopping mall, Venice is one of the oldest restaurants in “new” Astana. Fantastic pizza, as one might surmise from the name.

Cuisine: Italian Address: 9 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 75 39 06 Price range: $$ Zhybek Zholy Description: This lively establishment is a testament to Astana’s rising taste for diverse Asian cuisine. While the overall menu includes traditional Kazakh and European fare, it clearly caters to Chinese and other mainland Asian palates. You can also rack up some billiards before or after your meal, and on select nights, your ears will be treated to themed live music. All told, the place most certainly has the stuff for a full night out.

Cuisine: Kazakh, European, Eastern and Chinese Address: 102 Abay Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 21 05 07, 8 (7172) 21 66 56 Hours: 11.00 am - 03.00 am Price range: $$

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Arts & Culture

Krebayeva

ith cultural roots dating back thousands of years, the Kazakh people are rich in traditions. From birth through old age and death, every step of their lives has historically been marked with celebration. Even funeral ceremonies have their own special symbolism. Unfortunately, as was the case throughout many former Soviet territories, many rich and interesting traditions and customs of the Kazakh people were banned, suppressed and ultimately forgotten during Soviet rule. But as real sovereignty has been reestablished in Kazakhstan, these abandoned traditions are being rediscovered by the Kazakh people â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and they are eager to share them with the rest of the world. In Astana and its surrounding area, many memorials, museums and other cultural venues have been established to do so. The government has gone to great lengths to showcase the colorful intricacies and artistry of the Kazakh people in dance, music, literature, sport, art

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and so many other forms of ancient and modern cultural expression. In experiencing them, you will find some common themes of tradition throughout the exhibitions themselves, as well as why a particular aspect of culture was chosen to be exhibited or memorialized. These traditions include respect for the elderly; patriotism to the motherland; honesty; and love for all mankind. Following is a listing of fixed cultural exhibitions and forums to start with. The cultural landscape scene is still developing, as is virtually everything in young Astana. So ask around as new shows and exhibitions frequently come and go. If you are fortunate enough to be here during a national holiday, there will be no shortage of experiences for you to enjoy. Lastly, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that Astana is a political town with dozens of foreign embassies. At some point, every embassy will host events or sponsor performances promoting their own national cultures. If you do a little digging, planning a day of cultural indulgence in Astana is easy to do.

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86 Yesentayeva Dinara & Rafael Uzarov

The memorial complex is a moving experience with many exhibits. English language tours and translations are provided.

Address: Kurgalzhin Highway, 37 km from Astana in village Malinovka Phone: 8 (7172) 49 94 55, 8 (7172) 54 26 69 Hours: 10:00 am – 06:00 pm Website: www.alzhir.ucoz.kz “Atameken: A Walking Map of Kazakhstan Description: Don’t have time to travel through all of Kazakhstan? Then stroll through the “Atameken,” a 1.7 hectare, outdoor map you can walk through that essentially is an outdoor museum feting the country’s history, culture and development. See miniaturizations of every Kazakh city, including famous buildings, cultural icons, markets, and mountains – even the famous Cosmodrome in Baikonur. Beautifully landscaped, this unique “ethnopark” reportedly is one of only 20 such exhibitions in the world.

Address: 6 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 24 04 97, 8 (7172) 24 52 72 Hours: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm Opened from the May till November Has Sanat Gallery

American Corners and Cultural Centres in Kazakhstan Description: The long-awaited “American Corner” has been launched at the National Academic Library in Astana, and it’s a gold mine for anyone, of any age, who is interested in practicing English and learning about the United States. You’ll find English-language collections of American fiction, and reference books on U.S. government, history, and culture. Visitors also can learn more via Internet access, audio recordings, and American films and documentaries. For English teachers, extensive materials and English-teaching curriculums are on hand. The centre also hosts myriad events and clubs for children and adults. Among them are a discussion & debate club, music club, reading club, movie viewing club, and Kids’ Hour. Also featured are local and U.S. guest lecturers dedicated to certain events. Regular Saturday events are: “Movie-nights” at 17.00; “Discussion Club” at 15.00; and “Reading club” at 16.00. Open to the public.

Address: The National Academic Library (near Baiterek) Phone: 8 (7172) 44 62 39 Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11:00 am – 08:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am – 06:00 pm; closed on Mondays and the last Friday of every month. Website: www.amcorners.kz Alzhir Memorial Museum of Victims of Political Repressions and Totalitarianism Description: On May the 31st, 2007, the Alzhir Museum opened at the location of the former Akmolinsky camp of “Wives of the traitors of the Motherland.” It memorializes the tragic events of Soviet rule, including the dark times of the 1930s – 1950s. The year 2007 was chosen as the museum’s opening date for its meaning to Kazakhstan and former Soviet countries. It was the 90th anniversary of the October Revolution and the 70th anniversary of the beginnings of the “mass political terror.” During this period 100,000 civilians innocent lost their lives. In Kazakhstan, every May 31st is a day of remembrance for the victims.

Description: The Has Sanat Gallery has works of well known artists and emerging talent. The core of its collection is paintings of local Kazakh artists, including A. Sadykhanov, A. Akanayev and E. Tolepbay. The gallery also hosts traveling exhibits of work from Kazakhstan and abroad.

Address: 47 Abai Avenue and 14 Kunaev Street (Nursaya-1 residential complex) Phone: 8 (7172) 39 12 68, 8 (7172) 97 85 44 Website: www.hassanat.kz

and Pablo Picasso.

Address: 57 Tauelsizdik Street, Palace of Peace and Harmony (6th floor) Phone: 8 (7172) 74 47 17 Hours: Mon. – Fri. : 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sat.: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Modern Art Gallery Description: This gallery of art, located in the Palace of Peace and Harmony, is the place to see the work of modern Kazakh painters. It is divided into several galleries of different colors. The main gallery is yellow and has 100 paintings and 19 sculptures. Here you can see works of modern Kazakh painters, such as K. V. Mullashev, Akanaev and Begalin.

Address: 57 Tauelsizdik Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 70 03 83 Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Closed Mondays) Shezhyre Gallery Description: This gallery exhibits the work of local and foreign artists.

Address: 57 Tauelsizdik Street, Palace of Peace and Harmony Phone: 8 (7172) 74 47 27 The Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall Description: The Kazakhstan Concert Hall has two main auditoriums, one for film and another for the performing arts, such as concerts and ballet performances. The film theater can seat up to 3500 people. The concert hall has a wide orchestra pit, and back stage for theater, ballet and modern or classical concerts.

Address: 10/1 Orynbor Street Phones: 8 (7172) 70 53 02

Kulanshi Modern Art Center

The Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Description: The Kulanshi Center has a collection that includes European masters such as Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt, Salvador Dali

Description: This museum is located in the president’s former residence and offers a unique insight into the birth of a nation and its progress

Presidential Center of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan

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87 through time. The exhibits reveal the most important stages in the formation of an independent Kazakhstan and talks about the life and work of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The interiors are intact and the museum collection of over 60,000 items includes souvenirs, books, archival manuscripts, printed materials, film and documentary photographs, works of fine and decorative arts, weapons, personal belongings and documents offered by the president.

Address: 11 Beibitshilik Street Phones: 8 (7172) 75 12 14/92 The Museum of Modern Art in Astana Description: Originally named the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Modern Art was established in 1980. It started with a collection of 500 works of art, which has grown over the last 30 years to 3,000 pieces. Currently, the collection includes works by artists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Tajikistan and other CIS countries.

Address: 3 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 21 54 33 Website: www.msi-astana.kz The National Theater of Opera and Ballet Named after Kulyash Baiseitova Description: Located near the railway station, this theater is an example late 19th Century architecture. It has gone through a major renovation, and now holds large and small concert halls, a restaurant and practice rooms. The theater focuses on producing a repertoire of Kazakh musical and cultural performances. World-class talent has been invited

to perform classic opera classics, including “The Wedding of Figaro,” “Chio-chio-san,” “La Traviata” and “Eugene Onegin” among others. The National Theater of Opera and Ballet has received recognition for its quality productions in Kazakhstan and abroad. The concert hall is small, but has good acoustics and seats slightly more than 300 people.

Oryngul Nurzhankyzy

Address: 10 Akzhaiyk Street Phones: 8 (7172) 39 27 60/61 Website: www.astana-anshlag.kz The Palace of Independence Description: The Palace of Independence is used for official state functions, including forums, meetings and conventions. It includes the Gallery of applied art and ethnography, archeology and anthropology, a modern art Gallery, the Museum of City History of Astana. It also has two theaters; one is a 4D Cinema and the other a theater in 360 degrees. The Palace also includes an electronic library and a model gallery.

Address: 52 Manas Street Phones: 8 (7172) 70 03 80/95/89 Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Closed Mondays) Website: http://tauelsizdik.kz The Presidential Center of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Description: The Presidential Center of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan is conveniently located at the edge of the Right Bank, and is easily accessible from the Left Bank. The museum boasts 143,000 artifacts related to Kazakh archeology, ethnography, history, culture and arts. The “Kazakh Ethnography” collection captures the traditional lifestyles of the Kazakh people and gives visitors a closer understanding of Kazakhstan’s past and present. History comes alive in displays such as a Kazakh yurt, furniture, tableware, clothing, jewelry and many more items. The most striking and valuable exhibit is a bride’s headpiece (saukele) made in the beginning of the 19th century. One of the most interesting collec-

tions is of 135 musical instruments on loan from B.A. Sarybaev. The museum also has a library with a collection of more than 700,000 items stored in various media, and a collection of rare books dated between the 17th and the 20th centuries.

Address: 1 Respublika Avenue Phones: 8 (7172) 44 32 33/76 The Russian Drama Theater named after Maxim Gorky Description: Although Astana is a young capital, it is also old enough to have a theater founded in 1899. Today it is one of the largest and most popular drama theaters, not only in Astana, but in all of Central Asia. It puts on an amazing number of performances for adults and children, including classic works of Shakespeare, Chekhov, Gogol, Mrozhek and others.

Address: 11 Jeltoksan Street Phones: 8 (7172) 32 40 53 8 (7172) 32 05 70 8 (7172) 32 24 49 The Saken Seifullin Museum

“Kazakhstan” Central Concert Hall

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Description: Saken Seifullin was a pioneer of modern Kazakh literature, poet and writer, and national activist. He penned controversial literature calling for greater independence of Kazakhs from Soviet and Russian power, and paid for it

with his life. Deemed a “threat to the society” and a “nationalist,” Seifullin was executed in Almaty, in 1939. Today he is considered one of the most influential Kazakh thinkers of the 21st century, a major contributor to Kazakh culture and literature, and a martyr for freedom. The fascinating museum memorializes his works, but also serves as a research center. Opened in 1988, it’s now called one of the “historical and spiritual centres of Kazakhstan.”

Address: 20A Ayezov Street Phone: 8 (7172)323563 Fax: 8 (7172) 32 84 67 Hours: 10am-6pm The Zhastar Palace This is a popular place for leisure activities – a concentration of the social and entertaining life of the city – and the building is a historical and architectural monument. The four-story structure building was designed to meld into one, such large complexes as an auditorium and gymnasium. After the reconstruction in 2001, the facades were redecorated with modern materials. Visually stunning, presently more than 1,000 children and adolescents are engaged in creative work here.

Address: 34 Republic Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 32 80 91

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Hotels

The Beijing Palace Soluxe Hotel Astana

ince Astana became the capital in 1997, a host of hotels of all sizes and price popped up across the city. Whether you are an international traveler, a businessperson, or a visiting student, you will certainly find a high-quality and enjoyable place to stay that fits your budget. If your budget is substantial, you might want to look into high-end hotels such as the 5-star Beijing Palace Soluxe or the Rixos on the Left Bank of the Yessil River. Both of these have a level of services, attention and hospitality to impress the most seasoned international executive. Another popular one on the Left Bank is the Diplomat – directly across from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Right Bank offers the 5-star Radisson, a classic choice for businesspeople seeking excellent quality and solid service. The Radisson’s guests can access World Class, one of the city’s most exclusive, members-only fitness centers. The Ramada, the King Hotel, and a variety of smaller and less pricey

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choices are also on this side of the city. If you plan to stay a bit longer, you might want to consider renting an apartment. Overall it is less expensive, and you will likely have a full kitchen (so you will save even more money if you use it), most likely more space, and a homier atmosphere. For convenience and comfort, you can also take a look at www.astanaapartments.com. This website advertises apartments with full hotel services, so you will have everything you need. You should have no trouble locating a comfortable apartment fitting any specification. Some of these apartments have luxury accommodation and many service staff speak English. The website lists the benefits and features, including secure parking, courtesy service to/from the airport, high-speed internet access, and other services.

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89 Comfort Hotel Astana H H H Address: 60 Kosmonavtov Street Phone: 8 (7172) 24 44 44 Website: http://www.comforthotel.kz Daniyar Hotel H H H Address: 11 Tauelsizdik Phone: 8 (7172) 35 02 15 Diplomat Hotel H H H H Address: 29/1, D. Kunaev Street Phone: 8 (7172) 55 00 01 Website: www.diplomathotel.kz Duman Hotel H H H H Address: 2A Kurgalzhin Road Phone: 8 (7172) 79 15 00 Grand Park Esil H H H H Address: 8 Beibitshilik Phone: 8 (7172) 591901 Website: www.grandparkesil.kz Imperia G Hotel H H H H Address: 63 Abay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 40 55 01 Website: www.imperia-g.kz Kaspiy Astana Hotel H H H Address: 9 Takha Husien Street Phone: 8 (7172) 22 43 54 Website: www.kaspii.kz Katon-Karagay Hotel H H Address: 18 Kuyshi Dina Street Phone: 8 (7172) 40 06 33 King Hotel Astana H H H H Address: 7 Valikhanova Street Phone: 8 (7172) 70 57 05 Website: www.kinghotelastana.com

Mukammal Hotel H H H H Address: 53/1 Pobeda Avenue Phones: 8 (7172) 30 29 06 8 (7172) 30 29 07 Website: www.mukammal.kz Prestige Hotel H H H Address: 1 Zheltoksan Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 51 81 Radisson SAS Hotel H H H H H Address: 4 Sary Arka Street Phone: 8 (7172) 99 00 00 Website: www.astana.radissonsas.com Ramada Plaza Hotel H H H H H Address: 47 Abay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 39 10 00 Website: www.ramada.com Rixos President H H H H H Address: 7 B Kunayev Street Phone: 8 (7172) 24 50 50 Website: www.rixos.com Tengri Hotel H H H Address: 1a, Vavilov Street Phone: 8 (7172)413838 Website: www.tengrihotel.kz Zhasamir Hotel H H H Address: 17 Kenesary Street Phones: 8 (7172) 32 30 95 8 (7172) 32 33 97 Website: www.jasamir.kz

*Hotel star rating provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport

Radisson SAS Hotel

The Beijing Palace Soluxe Hotel Astana H H H H H The Beijing Palace Soluxe Hotel Astana is a luxury five-star facility close to the Presidential Residence and the main government buildings. Soaring 25 stories upward, it is one of Astana’s tallest buildings, and impossible to miss. The exquisite experience it offers has made it one of the top choices for visiting dignitaries, heads of state and international business executives. As you drive through the city, you can’t help but notice this hotel. For starters, it occupies 43,100 square-metres of total space. Towering over surrounding structures, with an enormous and sturdy base, it compliments Astana’s interesting and unusual architecture. Part traditional Chinese, with a dash of western influence, it stands out in bright white and light blue. It is a perfect example of the unique buildings Astana has become famous for in the international press. The uppermost level and grand entrance is intricately-crafted, traditional Asian style. The hotel is owned and managed by Beijing Soluxe International Business Co., Ltd, a branch company of China Huayou Group Corporation with ties to the China National Petroleum Corporation. The conglomerate brings great experience to Astana’s hospitality industry, with various businesses interests in property management, catering, construction, interior design, tourism, hospitality, and commodity trading. All told, the company engages in 81 service projects in 22 countries and regions of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South America. Inside the The Beijing Palace Soluxe Hotel Astana is one of the most luxurious spas in the country, a modern gym, a spectacular swimming pool, and Chinese massage and acupuncture facilities. It has 151 air-conditioned rooms, equipped with Internet, large-screen TVs, safes and even oxygen masks. As expected, phenomenal dining awaits customers. The elegant hotel has three up-scale restaurants, including the Great Wall (Chinese), Madonna (European), and on the 23rd floor, the one-of-a-kind Kazakhstan Revolving Restaurant – and yes, it actually revolves on its axis as you dine. The High Bar is on the 25th floor. Both the High Bar and the Revolving Restaurant have the most magnificent views of Astana in the entire city. The High Bar has daily happy hours from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with 50% off all drinks. It also has numerous high-class banquet and VIP-halls, and the 22nd floor is all about karaoke rooms. The Presidential Suites are on the 21st floor, and have a conference hall, a library-study, two bedrooms with a jacuzzi and saunas, a living room, kitchen, as well as separate rooms for security guards or aids. Regular check-in is 2:00 pm; check-out – 12:00 pm.

Address: 27 Syganak Street Phone: 8 (7172) 70 15 15 E-mail: soluxe.astana@soluxeint.com Website: www.soluxe-astana.kz Diplomat Hotel

Ramada Plaza Hotel

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Sports & Banya

Fitnation Network

stana has been passionate about fitness clubs for some time now, and residents and visitors alike have numerous choices to get fit and healthy, relax and unwind in a sauna, enjoy a soothing massage, or swim some laps in a heated pool. Many young professional Kazakhs feel a club membership is a must, not only for good health, but also as a positive place to meet interesting people. Now a new international-standard fitness centre has entered the scene – The Apriori, situated in the distinctive Duman Hotel tower. This luxury facility has an indoor swimming pool, strength and cardio machines, Finnish and Russian saunas, a Turkish Hammam bath, and a sun deck.

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The biggest fitness clubs in town are FitNation, WorldClass (the largest club network in Russia) and LifeFitness. The first two are franchises, so if you are a member, you can use your card to get in anywhere in Kazakhstan where a branch can be found. These three are really top-notch and have almost anything you would find in any Western country. They generally have a variety of fitness and martial arts courses, yoga and pilates, as well as Olympic-size swimming pools. All have professional personal trainers. For a little bit extra, you can even be trained by a “Master of Sports,” an athlete who graduated with the highest level of physical fitness qualification. You can get a day pass at most gyms, if you are afraid you won’t have time to go regularly.

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91 Daulet Type: Sports complex and tennis courts

centre also offers two Russian baths with bathhouse services and an attendant masseur.

Description: The Daulet centre is the premier tennis complex in Kazakhstan. The training complex includes locker rooms, showers and three cafes, as well as a small hotel and sauna facilities. It boasts three stadium courts, which can seat 583, 1,201 and 2,686 spectators for tournaments. Six training courts, three of clay and three hard, are scheduled to open in December 2011.

Address: 2 Turkestan Street Phone: 8 (7172) 79 73 73 Hours: Weekdays 7:00 am-12:00 am Weekends 9:00 am-12:00 am Website: www.life-fitness.kz Sharoban Type: Entertainment centre

Address: 6/3 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 44-56-24 Hours: 8:00 am-11:00 pm Emir Type: Banya Description: This banya is located in the Astana Park hotel. Services include a pool, a Jacuzzi and showers. The facilities also include a diningroom and a billiards room.

Address: 2 Sary Arka Avenue (Left Bank) Phone: 8 (7172) 55 63 33 Hours: Around the clock URL: http://astana-park.kz

Fitnation Network Type: Fitness centre Description: The Fitnation club in Astana includes a gym, swimming pool, sparring room and studios for martial arts and fitness classes. Group classes include dancing, cycling, yoga and aerobics, among others. Finnish, Russian and Turkish saunas are available, and the spa offers massage, a sun deck and the services of a manicurist and cosmetician. Fitness programs for children are also available.

Address: 4/1 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 23 05 95 Hours: 7:00 am-11:00 pm URL: www.fitnation.kz

Highvill Cultural and Community Centre Type: Fitness centre

Keremet Type: Banya complex

Description: The Highvill Cultural and Community Center includes a sports complex with a gym, running track and free weights, as well as a variety of exercise machines. Instructors are available for individual training, and clients can participate in a variety of exercise classes. The

Description: This is the largest banya complex in Astana. It has separate areas for men and women with their own pools. The complex includes a Finnish sauna, massage rooms and a hydro-massage area. For those seeking more privacy, there are seven VIP saunas with their own pools. For other types of

Center provides towels and slippers, and there are locker rooms and showers.

relaxation, the complex also offers a café with European and Asian dishes, a billiards room and a gym.

Address: 1, 23-21 Street Phone: 8 (7172) 51 32 69 Hours: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm Zhety Kazyna Type: Sauna complex Description: This sauna complex offers three styles of saunas: Coral, Egyptian and Japanese. They also offer massage services, a spa and a VIP cottage.

Address: 18 Bogenbai Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 23 65 09 Hours: Around the clock Website: http://7kazyna.kz

Address: 19 Turan Avenue (Left Bank, opposite Mega Centre) Phones: 8 (7172) 79 18 00 8 (7172) 79 18 03 Hours: 10:00 am-10:00 pm Life Fitness Astana Type: Fitness centre Description: Life Fitness offers all the services of a well equipped fitness centre, including a gym with a variety of exercise machines, a lap pool, personal trainers, group classes and a children’s programme. For post-workout relaxation, the

Description: Sharoban is a largescale, modern entertainment center. It is listed here because it includes 20 bowling lanes. It also has a small café, a billiards room and karaoke club for corporate parties.

Address: 38 Seifullin Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 67 70 8 (7172)32 67 68 Hours: 3:00 pm – 3:00 am World Class Type: Fitness centre and spa Description: World Class is the most high-class fitness centre in Astana. It is the number one network of clubs out of Russia,

in the premium/luxury market. It is the only Russian company to be considered one of the top 25 clubs in the world. It has a fully equipped gym, swimming pool and spa. It offers group fitness classes, including yoga and pilates, as well as personal training. The centre also has a café.

Address: 1 Pobeda Avenue (Next to the Radisson Hotel) Phone: 8 (7172) 39 13 69 8 (701) 222 90 90 Hours: Weekdays: 7:00 am - 12:00 am Weekends 9:00 am - 12:00 am URL: www.worldclass.kz

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The Kazakh Banya You have probably heard of a Russian sauna, but Kazakhs are really big on them, too, and they are often called the Russian way, banyas (although the Kazakh word is monsha). Both Russian and Kazakh saunas are a mix between the Scandinavian sauna and a steam room. The most popular banya in Astana is called the Keremet Complex, which also has a large fitness center. If you want privacy, private Banyas are available for rent, but locals often treat going to a sauna as a social experience. They typically include a shower, a swimming pool, a changing room, and another spot for relaxing and social-

izing. They sometimes have exercise equipment as well, and might have a mild steam room in addition to the full sauna, which is often turned up really hot. They usually have a food and drink service, although some people like to have food delivered for certain occasions. Both the Duman Hotel and the Khan Shatyry complex have a Turkish hammam (bath). A Turkish bath uses water instead of steam and is used to relax and cleanse the body of toxins. In a hammam, you first sit in a room heated with dry air, which will make you start to sweat. If you wish, you can then go into the “hot room,” for some more intensive sweating, after which, you douse yourself with cold water. After that, you can lay down on a heated slab of marble for an invigorating full-body scrub and massage. Most saunas of any type do not require membership. You can expect to pay around $20 to $30 per visit for a decent quality banya. You can rent private rooms for about $50 per hour. In Kazakhstan, business is done, and deals are often closed during a sauna session, since it tends to relax people and make them fee like they can be themselves. Often during such get togethers, the vodka flows freely. Many upscale banyas have conference rooms available as well. Before you decide on a banya, make sure you check out the facilities for their quality and cleanliness.

The Apriori Sport Club The Apriori club is a large, impressively-equipped modern fitness centre. Description: Huge swimming pool, gym, Jacuzzi, Russian banya and Finnish sauna, Turkish hammam and sun deck. There is a variety of group classes, including various types of dance, yoga and aerobics, pilates – all taught by certified trainers. You can join a group or schedule appointments with a personal trainer. You can also grab a fresh juice or other healthful drink at its well-stocked juice bar. Apriori holds water polo games several times per week. Along with its extensive array of top-brand strength-building and cardio machines, the centre has cardiac monitoring technology so you can keep track of your heart rate and blood pressure, which is very important for maintaining a safe workout that will bring you maximum benefit. You will find the staff to be friendly, and there is plenty of parking. They also have child fitness training services so you can work out without worries, while your child learns about health and fitness from a pro.

Apriori swimming pool

Address: The Duman Hotel is conveniently located at 2A Kurgalzhin Highway, on the Left Bank of the Yessil River, very close to the Mega Centre shopping and supermarket complex. It is about a 15-minute drive from the airport. Phone: 8 (7172) 79 15 56 Website: www. apriorisport.kz

The Apriori sports club at the Duman Hotel

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3/29/11 1:58:33 AM

Night Clubs

Insomnia

stana’s night club scene is evolving into a trendy and stylish blend of East and West club cultures. Astana doesn’t yet pack the variety and size of Almaty’s club action, but for that reason what you find inside Astana clubs is a genuinely raw and glitzy energy that does not need to be contrived – it just happens when the doors open. And the doors generally stay open into the early morning hours. This natural energy is not to say that there is no creativity in the Astana club scene. There definitely is. But this speaks more to the club goers themselves. Astana is a city on the rise with its own brand of upward mobility, driven by being the seat of government and an expanding commercial centre with lots of new money. So people work hard and they need to cut loose – but they also want to look good doing it.

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In that spirit, Astana is big on dress codes and “face control” at its hottest clubs, and the latter is often used as a selling point on ads for parties at popular night spots. This means door security decides whether or not to let you in, based on how you look. If you read this and worry about the “face control” thing because you don’t look like Brad Pitt, relax. A big reason for this is to keep out the under-aged. The minimum age is generally 22 or over, but most clubs go by looks and dress more than ID checks. Door security generally favors style and class. For the guys, a slick, dark-colored suit increases your chances of admission. For some clubs though, designer jeans, t-shirts and other smart casual are standard. But you should always look well-kept. If you think you can make the grade wearing sneakers or shorts, think again. Many young Kazakhs

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94 Oscar Lounge Bar & Night Club Description: As the name suggests, Oscar is a new hotspot with a Hollywood theme. Guests enter on a red carpet modeled after the Hollywood Academy Awards famous red carpet, and a giant replica of the Oscar Award greets you. Emmy Award-winning actor Armand Assante - a big fan of Kazakhstan – was there for opening night, and the ‘90s hit band Londonbeat jammed at the gala opening. Half the club is done in a classical, banquet-style interior with sprawling half-circular booths, flavored by techno-club flash. The fly Go-Go dancers on a raised platform look fresh off the MTV set. If underdressed, you might be confined to the bar area – it’s simple with lots of liquor, where you can smoke a hookah and watch another bikini-clad Go-Go dancer strut on top of bar. This is not a quiet place – a variety of house and techno-popmixes boom uninterrupted – but private karaoke and VIP rooms are available, plus a billiard hall. Check the website for live performances and special events. The recent Nauryz bash featured a Go-Go show, and body-painting with nomadic themes, music by DJs Jimmy Dassaev and Zolotoj Bikeikin. Duman Hotel guests receive a 20 percent discount.

Cuisine: Eastern, European, Japanese and Kazakh Web: www.nc-oscar.kz Address: 2A Kurgalzhinskoe Highway, Hotel Duman Phone: 8 (7172) 79 15 67 Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 12:00 pm - 02:00 am Friday –Saturday 12:00 pm - 05:00 am Price range: $$

who wear jeans and t-shirts look like they iron them, and actually are pulling off a much classier take on the grunge rage that hit Europe and the U.S. in the ‘90s. If you’re a foreigner, the doormen might cut you a little slack on the dress. But when you get inside you might be kicking yourself that you didn’t turn it up a notch, because rest assured you will never feel overdressed at an Astana night club. Music in Astana clubs changes often, and tends to be as trendy as anywhere. The hottest spots usually have some fusion of house, club, dance, trance and retro. Popular discos hold special parties for holidays, and guest DJs often are brought in from abroad, especially Russia. Most clubs have VIP rooms you can rent out for private parties. You can often see Go-Go dancers, and theme parties are popular (for example, everybody wears the same color). You can really work up an appetite dancing your tail off all night. Luckily, all night clubs in Astana serve food. Usually, night clubs operate from 10 pm to 4 am, but crowds don’t start pouring in until after midnight. Most Astana night spots are at their best Friday and Saturday nights, when they are usually packed solid. But that is not to say they are dead on weekdays either. If you feel like going out any night, you will not be alone. Men should expect to pay covers of around 3,000 tenge, or about $20. Women usually get in free until midnight (it brings in the guys) and half price at 1,500 tenge or $10, after 12 pm. Drinks are a bit expensive, so watch your tab. Two new hotspots have opened since our last edition: Oscar Night Club at the Duman Hotel, and Insomnia on the left bank of the Yessil River. Both cater to the Wired Generation, although OSCAR is a bit more of a mix. More details on both venues follow in our club directory.

Azur

Insomnia Night Club Description: The strength of this club seems to be its crowd, more than its design. Insomnia has developed its own loyal following, and the name kind of suggests the club’s high-energy pulse. Geared more toward a chic and progressive, younger crowd, regulars would tell you Insomnia attracts a positive and free-thinking group of like-minded cool people who just want to be themselves, hang-out… and dance like mad! An easy place to meet like-minded partiers, times have been known to get wild at this spot, with inventive and sometimes titillating floorshows and other edgy surprises. People rave about the music mix and the layout of the place, which features a big dance area, a lounge-chair spread to chill in, and an electric-looking bar resembling a Manhattan martini bar running on 50,000 watts. In fact, the whole place makes liberal use of dazzling lasers and light effects – lots of strobes and neon columns that stretch from the floor to the low ceiling throughout. You could probably even get away with wearing shades here, but think twice: some report face control to be a little on the strict side.

Cuisine: Mixed Address: 3 Dostyk Street Phone: 8 701 511 4740 Hours: 10.00 pm - 04.00 am, Sun - Mon is closed Price range: $$

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3/29/11 12:33:28 AM

Astana DJ Slavik Fx ‘Born’ in Russia

Azur

Azhur Description: This club caters to the “luxury” niche, starting with its unique and stately interior design – an amalgamation of earth-tone, czarist décor with traditional nightclub neon and flash. An array of soft, spacious couches and chairs you’d want to sleep in flank the hardwood dance floor, and swooning draperies dress the padded and papered walls. Elegant chandeliers are suspended throughout, including above a ritzy, illuminated bar that features an exhaustive selection of spirits. That said, this is definitely a place you can dance and party at. The club often hosts varied theme parties, bringing in some of the top DJ talent from Russian and European, and also features full billiards facilities. Small but always popular, the club has a link with the Portofino Restaurant and is located in the same building. As you would expect given the description, don’t show up looking a slouch: Azhur is strict on dress code and face control.

Cuisine: Italian, Japanese Address: 27 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 20 34 Hours: 12:00 pm to last visitor Chocolate Located in the Radisson Hotel on the Right Bank of the river, Chocolate is considered one of the most upscale and hottest – some say the hottest – night clubs in the city, and is popular in particular with locals (especially Friday night). It has a large roster of regulars, and practices strict face control. It has lots of smart, beautiful people, who tend to come in groups. Chocolate is more like a lounge during the week and Sundays, with live jazz. But the party is on Friday and Saturday nights, with guest DJs

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from Russia, Europe or Almaty. You can sit at the bar, but to grab a table with its cozy furniture, be warned: it will set you back at least $500 per table. Guests at the Radisson should have no trouble getting in. The club is not very big and was recently renovated. Dress code is smart casual.

Cuisine: Japanese Address: 2 Sary Arka Avenue Phone: 8 (701) 550 0017 Fashion Description: Fashion is one of Astana’s top nightclubs. With its big and bold dance floor, the club caters to the under-30 crowd via a number of rotating, big-name DJs. Highprofile international DJs mostly come from Russia, with a few from Western Europe. The club is also known for throwing inventive theme parties, and also hosts fashion shows and parties with wellchoreographed stage shows. The club is connected with Fusion, one of the top restaurants in Astana (see our review in restaurant listings), so you can eat at Fusion, and party your way into the night downstairs at Fashion – but it will definitely cost you. Fashion is considered an expensive club, so those on a budget beware. It has its own food menu, but portions are on the small side, and pricey.

For our part, Vyacheslav Mischenko – a.k.a “DJ Slavik Fx” – already gets two thumbs up for his nom de guerre. It probably plays well in Russia too, when the popular Astana DJ takes his act on the road. Vyacheslav’s talents have made him a popular figure on the Astana nightclub scene, and the city’s top club managers know the talented young artist will draw crowds when he is the featured act. But Vyacheslav is more than a one-man show. The ambitious young artist also launched his own events agency, called Fx Events, and he already has compiled an impressive list of clients. To understand the roots of Vyacheslav’s inspiration is to understand from where he gets his moniker. The influence began during a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he experienced first-hand the amazing talent and creativity percolating in St. Petersburg’s night clubs. He also could hear the type of music young people were taking to in one of the world’s biggest and best club scenes. “After St. Petersburg, I became seriously fond of electronic music,” he said. Then, in 2003, “DJ Slavik Fx was “born.” Vyacheslav says his music style and tastes include Progressive/Tribal/Dark House, Tech House, Breaks, Chicago/Jackin/Acid House, Commercial House, Electro House, Club House, Deep, Funk. If you recognize those terms, you understand his diversity and style. If you don’t, it translates that his tastes and style are very diverse. Vyacheslav’s followers enjoy his selections as well. It’s one of the reasons – along with his distinctive and colorful personality – that he plays so many of Kazakhstan’s top venues, including Azure Chillout Bar, Portfolio Fashion Club, Che Guevara Bar, Lime Lounge Bar, and Fashion Night Club. But Vyacheslav has also made a name for himself abroad, and often travels to perform in Moscow, Novossibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Omsk, and Ekaterinburg. On the business side of his life, Fx Events has organized large open air parties and special events, including fashion shows, for such big-name clients as Guess and Zara brands. The agency also organizes tours of Kazakhstan and Russia for artists all over Europe – including English vocalist Sam Obernik, and top German DJs Swen Weber, DJ Flying Steps and DJ Kid Cut.

Cuisine: Italian, American, Japanese Address: 4 Mailin Street

Phone: 8 (7172) 22 27 77 Hours: Fri. & Sat. 10:00 pm to last visitor Website: www.fusion.com.kz Jimmy’z Description: Jimmy’z, located on the 12th floor of the Astanalyk building across from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is part of an international showcase that includes 20 capital

cities. The place oozes exclusivity when you walk through the door, offering a truly elegant, high-class atmosphere that is not as loud as many clubs. With its brand of interior and existential class, Jimmy’z attracts an affluent and slightly older clientele, often including celebrities and politicians. The club features a cigar bar, karaoke lounge and dance

hall, all supported by a phenomenal set of wine, liquor and fine cuisine. It used to be members-only, but is now open to the public. We need not warn you to dress for the place.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh, French Address: Astanalyk Business centre Phone: 8 (7172) 50 20 33 8 (7172) 50 21 33 Hours: Around the clock

3/29/11 12:33:38 AM

Bars

Bar Boss

t happens to us all: Graduation. For our purposes here, that is to say the point in life where we no longer wish to be packed in like sardines, have our ears charred off by hours of 100-decibel techno-rave, or come home wearing beverages that were spilled on us throughout the night. Fortunately, if you are reading this, you probably are in Kazakhstan, so fear change not. For the conversion from night-clubber to bar patron is not a vacillating and retrospect moment of lament and regret – rather, it is a beatific metamorphosis that unburdens and lifts the soul… Fine, that’s a bit over the top. But the point is, we reach that stage in life where we don’t want booming, bashing nightclubs. The great thing here is that Astana has an amazing medley of bars that you absolutely will not tire of – a selection that frankly puts the nightclub scene to shame. And

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as Kazakhstan truly is a crossroads culture, you find a range in Astana that you couldn’t find in an American or European city of this size – no way. You’d have to meander through New York City or London at the cost of absurd taxi fares or prohibitive train/bus transfers to get what is a stone’s throw away from any part of Astana. Classy, earthy, flashy – you name it. Want a dress-code type place? No problem. Wanna wear jeans and a baseball cap? Check. Martini and cigars, or beer and football? Live music, DJ music, or even no music? Yes, YES – Astana has it, probably even two, three or five of them. With names ranging from Chelsea and Guns ‘n’ Roses, to Kazbar and Stolichny, need we say more? Just rip out this section of Edge and pin it to your wall, because at the moment of decision, you won’t remember them all.

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Three bars you can write home about

Why Not? 8 Drops music club Description: 8 Drops is a karaoke club with two locations. The song list includes Russian, Kazakh, American and European numbers. 8 Drops holds competitions between tables. Those at the tables sing as teams, and the crowd votes for their favorite. The host eggs people on to jump in.

Address: 29 Abai Street and 6/4 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 46 70 18 Hours: 8:00 pm – 4:00 am Albion Description: This billiards bar has 12-foot pool tables or, if you’re in the mood for a challenge, Russian billiards.

Address: 6 Korgalzhinsky Highway Phone: 8 (7172) 79 69 90, 8 (7172) 79 69 91 Hours: 12:00 pm to last visitor Balkan Description: This recently opened venue, directly above the Che Guevera bar, offers rural Balkan cuisine. Since it’s new, only time will tell how Astana takes to it. But with its comfort and good food, we predict it will be popular in no time.

Address: 33A Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (701) 517 38 86 Hours: 12:00 pm – 2:00 am Beermac Bar (Khan Shatyr) Description: This newly opened, modern bar is a nice place to stop for a beer or snack while shopping in Astana’s largest mall. The menu includes a range of pastries and cookies.

Address: 37 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 73-47-68 (Khan Shatyr main number) Hours: 10:00 am- 11:00 pm Boulevard Grill Bar Description: This popular grill’s

menu has European, Japanese and Caucasus meals. The Boulevard is across the street from Cafestar in the Singing Fountains alley near Baiterek Tower. It has 25 types of shashlyk (shish kebabs) and steaks. Customers can watch the cooks using an open fire, which not only adds to the taste, but also to the atmosphere. The bar has two levels with large plasma TVs and quiet background music.

Address: 14 Kunayev Street (Nursaya Residential complex) Phone: 8 (7172) 24 45 31, 8 (7172) 24 45 32 Hours: 10:00 am – 1:00 am Che Guevara Description: Che’s is a long-time Astana favorite. DJs usually spin the music at this small bar with the cozy feel. Che’s is known for its theme parties. Regulars tend to be creative, IT and marketing types. Most of the crowd is young, although usually there’s a mix.

Address: 33A Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (702) 723 39 79 Hours: Fri 8:00 pm – 4:00 am Sat 8:00 pm – 4:00 am Sun 8.00 pm – 4.00 am Chelsea English Pub Description: Chelsea offers European and Chinese cuisine. Patrons can watch live sports on one of its large TVs. Its VIP room is terrific.

Address: 7 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 21 77 27 Hours: 12:00 pm to last visitor Cigar Bar-Radisson Astana Description: This bar has comfortable leather chairs that give it the feel of a traditional British study. It also has numerous TVs. There are all types of cigars, including Cubans, along with great coffee and service.

Three hot bars – Why Not?, Bar Boss and Graff – offer expatriates a range of socializing, partying and networking possibilities. And they’re just plain fun. Whether you prefer business talk over a whisky in an old-fashioned cigar lounge, want to engage in deep conversations with intellectuals, or dance the night away with new-generation hipsters, Astana has a watering hole for you. Most bars in Astana are high-end and classy, although it’s truly a varied scene. Bars generally have softer music than nightclubs, so you can actually talk to friends without having to shout. The majority of bars and pubs have no dress codes; but one or two do, so their patrons need to show up presentable. None that we know of has a cover charge. Bars tend to play contemporary lounge music that offers a cool but subdued backdrop. Some have DJs, but many just pipe in music from their sound systems. Most Astana hangouts have VIP rooms where small groups can gather in privacy and comfort. All the bars that we know of serve food. Menus are often based on Bar Boss Western pub fare, but other entrees also are available. Grills are common and, as is the case across Kazakhstan, meat is the dish of the day. Burgers and kebab are often on a menu, but there are a lot more choices beyond them. Lamb in Kazakhstan is excellent, and you can find it almost anywhere. Most menus today also include a couple of vegetarian choices. Some Astana pubs can get pricey, especially for steaks and fish. But there are almost always choices for those on a budget. Beer and vodka tend to be priced lower than such hard drinks as whisky. Night owls will find popular bars packed early and staying open late. The music gets turned up, and on some nights both younger patrons and older professionals can be found dancing until morning.

Why Not? Description: Smart and stylish lounge bar with a slick, streamlined interior. Many local and expat business people frequent Why Not?, so it’s a place to make business contacts as well as have a good time. Why Not? is something in between a restaurant and a lounge with a calm, subdued design. Its neutral colors, plus the comfort of its couches and dark wooden furniture, help patrons to relax, coaxing them to stay for the evening after they’ve had something to eat. Why Not?, which has been open for five years, is in the same building as the well-known Zhibek Zholy restaurant. The bar’s extensive menu includes selections from Zhibek Zholy. Why Not? tends to be popular with a professional crowd in their mid-20s and up. It has DJs pumping out lounge and house. The music, which appeals to a wide variety of people, creates a kind of calm party atmosphere. Why Not? holds Tasty Thursdays each week with special prices on cocktails and desserts. The second floor is a smoking bar filled with the sweet smells of tobacco coming from kalyan, or water pipes, which are a rage across Kazakhstan. Why Not? is moderately priced.

Cuisine: European, Kazakh Address: 102 Abai Avenue (on the corner with Valikhanov Street) Phone: 8 (7172) 21 05 07, 8 (7172) 21 66 56 Hours: 12:00 pm - 03:00 am daily Price range: $$

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98 Bar Boss Description: Bar Boss is a sparkling new gathering spot in the Ak Kaiyn Hotel for Astana’s young, ambitious and upwardly mobile. It is beautifully designed with interesting colors and subdued lighting, many mirrors and comfortable furniture. Boss has three sections, each in a different dominant color. The club’s emerald green lighting produces a cool effect. The crowd includes a lot of young local professionals, but expats are starting to show up as well. Boss-goers dress sharp/smart casual. You can get away with jeans if you do it with style. Kalyan pipes are popular. Bar Boss hires DJs who play a hip mix of modern dance, lounge and trance. Prices are reasonable according to Astana standards. An average cocktail costs about 1,000 tenge. The Ak Kaiyn Hotel can be hard to find because many taxi drivers don’t know where Ryskulbekov Street is. Tell the cabbie that there is a gas station on the corner where Abai intersects with Ryskulbekov. The intersection is close to Hospital #7 on Abai. If you are traveling on Abai toward the hospital, you’ll see the Dastan Hotel and Dastan Market on the right. Turn right at the intersection onto Ryskulbekov. You’ll see the Altyn Orda Hotel on the left. Take the left directly next to the Altyn Orda, yielding right onto the small street that goes between the residential buildings, and you’ll see the Ak Kaiyn Hotel.

Cuisine: Mixed Address: 8/2 Ryskulbekov Street in the Ak Kaiyn Hotel Phone: 8 (7172) 29 00 90 Hours: 4:00 pm – 4:00 am Price range: $$ Graff lounge bar Description: A slower, more relaxed lounge conducive to making connections and discussing serious deals. Part of the Astana Park Hotel, Graff is quiet and discreet. It offers many services and entertainment is available. Patrons can order from the big menu of the Chalet restaurant. The venue includes a karaoke bar, VIP zones, three saunas and billiards. Graff holds invitation-only VIP parties on special occasions – an opportunity to make important connections if you can get in. It has no face control, but regular clientele understand they need to be in business or businesscasual dress. Graff has a more mature crowd than many bars – upper 20s and older. Its DJs play a mix of contemporary music. When there are parties the emphasis is often on rock and roll classics.

Graff lounge bar

Cuisine: Eastern, European, Japanese and Kazakh Address: 2 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 55 63 33, 8 777 115 34 25 Hours: Lounge bar on Friday and Saturday 7:00 pm - 4:00 am Hotel and saunas – around the clock Price range: $$ Website: http://www.astana-park.kz/

Q Night Bar

Address: 4 Sary Arka Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 99 00 00 Hours: 8:00 am – 4:00 am

Phone: 8 (7172) 59 18 09 Hours: 11:00 am – 3:00 am

Comfort Hotel Astana Bar

Description: This place used to be a nightclub, but was converted to a bar because neighbors complained about the noise. It quickly became popular in its new role. One attraction is its reasonably-priced steaks. Its restaurant is at street level, with the bar on top.

Description: This bar is popular partly because Kazakh celebrities often stay at the hotel. Patrons linger, hoping to run into one of them. The hotel is elegant, with a feel of old Europe.

Address: 60 Kosmonatov Street Phones: 8 (7172) 24 44 44 8 (7172) 24 54 44 Hours: Around the clock Website: www.comforthotel.kz

Address: 18 Mirzoyan Street Phone: 8 (7172) 92 88 49 Hours: 8:00 pm – 4:30 am (Tue-Sat) Restaurant - 11:00 am – 2:00 am

Contrabass

Kega Sports Bar

Description: This beer bar offers great shashlyk and live music.

Description: This is a large venue full of big-screen TVs showing sports from across the globe. Popular among young people, it is linked to the Kega beer brand.

Address: 25/3a Ablai Khan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 56 15 01 Hours: Mon – Tue 5:00 pm – 4:00 am Fri-Sat 5:00 pm – 5:00 am Guns n’ Roses Guns n’ Roses is an up-market Irish pub serving draft beer and ale. The house band, Silently Screaming, gets the crowd moving. Both expatriates and local professionals dig the music. You can spot any Guns n’ Roses in Kazakhstan easily because all have red British Telecom boxes outside their main entrances. Guns n’ Roses recently decided to add an on-location butcher. So its steaks should be some of the best in Astana. Guns is a bit pricey. But you can find some of the pub grub you enjoy in the West at an affordable price.

Address: 11 Samal Microdistrict

Address: 11/1 Kuyshi Dina Street Phone: 8 (7172) 36 89 99 Hours: Mon- Tue 4:00 pm – 2:00 am Fri – Sat 4:00 pm – 4:00 am Sun 4:00 pm – 2:00 am Krushovitsa Description: You can enjoy live music and various types of shows at the Krushovitsa, as well as Czech food with your beer.

Address: 8 Abai Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 40 72 52 Hours: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am Mindal Description: Mindal is a good place for meetings. You can do business at the same time you’re relaxing. Or you can celebrate a special event.

Address: 25/1 Kuishi Dina Street Phone: 8 (7172) 41 08 11 Hours: Mon – Tue 2:00 pm – 3:00 am Fri – Sun 2:00 pm – 5:00 am Orioke

Guns n’ Roses

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Kazbar

Description: In addition to having a name rhyming with karaoke, this venue is known for its huge song

3/29/11 2:06:31 AM

Sky Ba

Sky Bar

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100 menu, ranging from Kazakh folk to rap. Have fun!

Address: 9 Aliyev Street Phones: 8 (7172) 34 20 59 8 (7172) 34 22 59 Hours: Mon – Tue 5:00 pm – 7 pm Fri – Sun 5:00 pm – 3:00 am Prime Description: This is one of the newest and biggest lounges in Astana. Its classy VIP room includes karaoke and a plasma TV. It also has a cigar room, a dance floor and a water pipe lounge. This is a midrange-priced bar, not terribly expensive, but not cheap, either.

Address: 6 Kurgalzhinskiy Highway Phone: 8 (7172) 79 69 95, 8 (702) 338 21 13 Hours: Fri 6.00 pm – 4.00 am Sat 6:00 pm – 4:00 am Q Night Bar Description: The Q Night Bar follows a Kazakhstan tradition of some bars becoming nightclubs as evening wears on. It can be a lot of fun to watch the scene evolving from subdued to people dancing like crazy. Q Night caters to the young, with loud house music and flashing lights.

Address: 10 Sagynak Street (Nomad

Residential Complex) Phone: 8 (7172) 66 14 14 Hours: 6:00 pm – 3:00 am

Address: 7 Kunayev Street Phone: 8 (7172) 24 50 50 Hours: Around the clock

Rixos Irish Bar

Sky Bar

Description: Rixos’ Irish Bar is spacious and has a pool table and live music. Some of Kazakhstan’s hottest bands play there. In addition to songs that everyone’s heard of, the groups perform their own originals. The Rixos is Astana’s premium hotel, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the menu is a bit expensive. There are affordable items however. The bottled beers are cheaper than draft. Depending on what brand you choose, vodka and cognac can be reasonable. The Irish Bar is a hangout for those who have attended important events in Astana, such as the Astana Energy Forum. It often is the location of a post-event cocktail party. Many event-goers end up migrating to the Rixos after other parties. This means it can be a great place to make contacts. Don’t be surprised if you see well-known faces. The food is excellent. Snacks at the cocktail parties are tastier and the presentations better than at other venues that offer this service.

Description: Perched atop Asia Park, Sky Bar offers a panoramic view of Astana. Another unique feature is large screens showing continuous departures and arrivals at the airport. The bar is spacious and offers excellent service. Lounge music plays in the background, and you can hear well enough to have a conversation.

Sligo Irish pub Description: This is a two-level pub with an Irish and continental European menu, and Wi-Fi. You can catch live music here on Fridays and Saturdays.

Address: 45 Abai Avenue (close to the Ramada Hotel) Phone: 8 (7172) 39 01 82 Hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 1:00 pm – 3:00 am Friday-Saturday: 1:00 pm – 4:00 am Sunday – Monday: 1:00 pm – 2:00 am Stolichny Pub Description: Stolichny offers a wide range of ethnic a food, including Italian, Russian, Uygur, Kazakh and Eastern.

Address: 47 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 21 91 21 Hours: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am Sun 6:00 pm – 1:00 am Triumph pub Description: A nice, quiet bar with background music. It has a VIP room and Wi-Fi.

Address: Kabanbai Batyr Avenue (Asia Park shopping center) Phone: 8 (7172) 97 87 70 Hours: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am

Address: 11 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue (residential complex Triumph Astana) Phone: 8 (7172) 68 91 04 Hours: 12:00 pm – 2:00 am

Graff lounge bar

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101

Cafés & Coffee Houses

The “Rafe Coffee & Food”

stana has developed a real café culture as of late. Cafés and coffee houses get jam-packed in winter, as people go indoors to escape the cold, eager to sit next to a warm fireplace with their hands wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate. Most cafés offer a reasonably large menu, and they are less expensive and more informal than restaurants. Even though Kazakhs remain big tea drinkers, coffee houses are also increasingly popular. Some of them focus more on coffee, others on tea. And the quality of coffee you can find is now as good as anywhere in the world. Coffee shops offer a variety of coffees, teas, freshly-squeezed

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juices, desserts and limited food items, such as sandwiches, pizzas or maybe sushi. Both coffee houses and cafés have bars with alcohol, more often than not. Their designs can be particularly charming and comfortable, and they don’t mind if you linger all day. Most offer free Wi-Fi Internet. More and more, you see people using their favorite coffee joint as a second office. Many spend their entire time typing away on their laptops, while others read books. But in Astana, coffee houses and cafés are also an alternative to bars for socializing, and it’s common to bump into friends and colleagues.

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102 Bar Fontan A lot of people in Kazakhstan go to shopping malls just to have something to eat because of the wide selection usually present. For a small café in the middle of a shopping mall, Bar Fontan is surprisingly popular whatever time of the day you visit. Often packed with people, it is especially known for its delicious pizzas, but also has a full-Russian-style menu, nice salads, fresh juices, alcoholic drinks and some good cakes. Its coffee is pretty basic – Americano regular and cappuccino.

Address: Kenessary Street, Sine Tempore Shopping Mall, 1st Floor, Phone: 8 (7172) 753 906 Hours: Daily, 10:00 am–10:00 pm Bon Bon Description: Located near the Baiterek Tower, Bon Bon is well-known as a relatively inexpensive chain coffee house with properly-made Italian-style coffees. This is a great place to go after visiting Baiterek and the singing gardens. Kalyan (hookahs) are available, but only in the smoking section. The main room seats forty; and it has a 20seat VIP hall.

Address: 14/1 Tauelsyzdyk Street

Phone: 8 (7172) 50 87 00 Hours: 10:00 pm - 1:00 am Sat – Sun: 10:00 - 2:00 Bukhara Description: This café offers a wide selection of European, Kazakh, Eastern, Caucasian and Asian dishes. It also has live music and shows. It comes complete with 25, 15, and 10-seat VIP halls available.

Address: 7, 3rd Microdistrict Phones: 8 (7172) 35 19 32 8 (7172) 36 57 32 Hours: 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Cafe La Description: This chain of cafes offers good coffee, tasty desserts and sandwiches.

Address: 9 Dostyk Street, Keruen and Sary Arka shopping centers, Astana International Airport Phone: 8 (7172) 79 55 73 Hours: Mon – Fri, 9:00 am – 1:00 am, Sat – Sun, 9:00 am – 2:00 am Café Marzipan Café Marzipan was Astana’s first café to open on the left bank of the Yessil River. It is popular for its light lunch menu, which includes different kinds of sandwiches. Relatively large and comfortable, government workers often frequent

Éclair it at night. It also offers refreshing freshly-squeezed juices. Free Wi-Fi is available.

Address: 1 Magistralnii Street (by the Singing Fountains Square) Phone: 8 701 551 4897 Hours: Daily, 10am–2am

Cuisine: European Address: 15 Sagynak Street Phone: 8 (7172) 79 52 55, 8 (7172) 56 69 34 Hours: 09:00 am – 12:00 am Price range: $

Cafestar

Coral Reef Café

Description: Some people would consider Cafestar more of a restaurant than a café. But we will go with the name and call it a café, although a rather fancy one. The atmosphere here is high class, with photos of movie stars on the walls. While pricey for a café, the outstanding food is worth the price. A perfect choice for inviting guests to a pleasant evening with good food and wine.

Description: The beauty of the marine world is on display at this uniquely decorated café. The interior was handcrafted by artists from northern Kazakhstan using clay and other materials. Children and adults alike will have tremendous fun eating and admiring the intricate designs on its walls.

Address: 13 Dostyk Street (Nursaya-2 Residential complex) Phone: 8 (7172) 79 54 12 Hours: 9:00 am until the last visitor leaves Caramel Description: Located on the right bank of the river in the old town centre, Caramel is known for the designs the baristas draw on the cappuccino froth. It has a nice, homey atmosphere, and in addition to enjoying one of its delicious desserts, you can play a game of checkers or backgammon. A great place for an evening out with the family.

Address: 10A Imanov Street Phone: 8 (7172) 53 73 88 Hours: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm Coffe Nova

Coffe Nova

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talking or working on laptop computers. Free Wi-Fi is provided.

Description: This new coffee house just opened in the heart of downtown Astana. It is not too large, and has a real intimate feel to it. Even though it is a relatively new addition, already you can find quite a few locals and guests spending the day

Address: 171 Abay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 21 83 93 Hours: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am Corso Description: Located on the right bank of the river not far from Tiflis, the Corso coffee house bills itself as “A small part of Switzerland in Astana.” Comfortable and diminutive, it’s better for good conversation on a date or lunch, rather than with a big crowd. Corso is at its busiest during lunchtime and at night. It gets a decent crowd drinking cocktails and beer, and it can feel a bit more like a bar rather than café. Its cappuccinos are really good, and so are the cookies and cakes. It also serves a nice breakfast. Free Wi-Fi is available.

Address: 12 Imanov Street (between Respublika Avenue and Valikhanov Street) Phone: 8 (7172) 53 73 00, 22 12 49 Hours: 9:00 am – 1:00 am Demalys Complex Description: This café offers European and Eastern cuisine, including shashlyk (shish kebabs). This is a well-known place for hosting conferences and exhibitions.

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103 secure parking.

Address: 24, 3rd Microdistrict Phones: 8 (7172) 34 11 25 8 (7172) 21 44 90 Hours: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am Fri – Sat 12:00 – 2:00 am La Belle Description: Located in Old Town Astana, La Belle is usually crowded with young people. It has two main rooms with plasma TVs, and patrons can watch soccer and other sports. In the summer, they open their terrace area, which is complete with tents and comfortable pillows where customers can sit back, smoke flavored tobacco from a hookah and sip some drinks.

Address: 12 Irchenko Street Phone: 8 (7172) 23 06 00 Hours: 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Library Café

Coffe Nova Address: Central Park of Astana Phone: 8 (7172) 32 80 29 Hours: 11:00 am – 2:00 am Éclair Description: Éclair is a new franchise, with branches in Almaty and Astana. It is the city’s first real French bakery. This is another spot with a real nice, elegant atmosphere (like a real French bakery), and you will probably find it ideal for treating someone to a business lunch. You can choose from a wide variety of cakes and desserts similar in texture and taste to what you can find in Europe. They also have good, simple sandwiches. Sandwich lovers will be happy to find the bread is nice and fresh as well as soft. The bread alone is a reason to come here, if you like it baked-fresh and piping hot. This is also a good place for takeouts, including coffee to go. Some of the things you probably want to try are their muffins, pies, cookies, croissants, rolls, cheesecakes, and tarts. This company is socially-conscious, and they deliver free pastries each Thursday and Saturday to poor and elderly older people in Astana.

Cuisine: French Address: 14 Kunayeva Street.

Phone: 8 (7172) 50 83 85, 8 (7172) 50 83 81 Hours: 08:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: $ Website: www:éclair.kz Indiana Description: This is a nice café with large-screen plasma TVs and beer on tap. Sometimes they hold entertaining shows to accompany the tasty European and American food on the menu. There is no dress code, and you will see people in jeans, etc., capturing the down-toearth nature of the residents of the middle-American state Indiana the place is named after. Offering a business lunch for 1,000 tenge, it’s also a good place for take-outs as well. Check for their special promotions and get a regulars discount cards.

Description: This is a great little café where you can get good Americanstyle coffee, tasty desserts and cocktails. Then you are welcome to kick back and read from their big selection of fiction and classics in three languages, including English. Wi- Fi is available. (See sidebar)

Address: 61/1 Kenessary Street Phones: 8 (7172) 20 08 01 8 (702) 6822877 Hours: Tue – Fri 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sat 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Sun 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Closed on Mondays) Madlen Description: This coffee house chain (Shymkent, Almaty, and Astana) is not only well known for its baked goods and tasty pastries – including cakes, pies and tarts – but also for pizza, burgers and sandwiches. The Greek souvlaki, both chicken and beef, is just about as good as many places in NYC; a very nice spinach

quiche can be had too. Madlen is extremely comfortable and designed to be a great place to bring a small group of friends and just hang out. It is designed with nooks and nice couches so if you want, you can have some semi-privacy. Close to the Baiterek Tower, Madlen is often packed with young people and professionals working away on laptops. Make sure you try the freshly squeezed lemonade.

Address: 12/1 Tauelsyzdyk Street Phone: 8 (7172) 68 96 79 Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 am Website: www.madlen.kz Mister Coffee Description: This coffee house is well-known in the city for using only 100% organically grown Arabica beans, while the cakes and cookies are reputed to be the best in Astana. Patrons can also order sushi and request VIP rooms. It is right next to MEGA Centre, across the street from the Duman Hotel.

Address: 15 Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 90 10 33 Hours: 10:00 am – last visitor News Café Description: A diverse menu and accommodating feel makes this a

Address: 22 Sary Arka Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 34 63 Hours: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am Kvartal (Quarter) Description: This inexpensive, friendly café has live music (mostly traditional) to entertain its patrons. The main hall is spacious, seating up to 70 people, and VIP rooms are available. Offering European-style cuisine, you can get a decent business lunch here during weekdays for a low 500 tenge. It also has

Mister Coffee

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104 Mister Coffee

Coffe Nova traditional fare includes European cuisine and shish kebabs, with both shashlyk and other kebabs, and features a 1,000 tenge business lunch. They also offer draft beers and pies to order. Not only is Redford good for take-outs, they also deliver. Free Wi-Fi is available.

Address: 43 Kenessary Street Phone: 8 (7172) 32 82 36 Hours: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am Shambala

great place to grab a meal any time of day. You can pick and choose from a variety of European, Eastern and Russian cuisine.

Address: 34 12th Street, Diplomat Complex Phone: 8 (7172) 50 35 67 Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 am Fri – Sun 11:00 am – 3:00 am Oasis Description: While Oasis offers a nice fixed menu with very good European cuisine, the management also tries to keep its offerings fresh. They often run specials, so whenever you decide to visit, it’s possible you can try something you’ve never had before, or get a nice discount on one of your favorite items.

Address: 7 Respublika Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 21 44 90 Hours: 11:00 am – 1:00 am Pizza City This American-style pizza joint is one of the most popular pizza spots in Astana. It has a steady stream of loyal and stylish clientele, partially due to its huge pizzas and its famous pasta. Lots of people come here during late hours for a bite. It has an interesting design with a dark red interior, and comfortable

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sofas mixed with hard metal tables you might see at many pizza parlors in big U.S. cities. They also have good breakfasts, and their croissants are a big hit.

Address: 17 Imanov Street (between Respublika Avenue and Valikhanov Street) Phone: 8 (7172) 20 09 65 Hours: Daily, 8:00 am–2:00 am Red & White Description: Red & White is open 24 hours a day and offers a mixture of European and Eastern cuisine. You can shoot a few games of pool, or catch live bands in the evening. The main room seats 90 and a VIP hall for up to 12 people is available. It’s also a popular spot when Astana defrosts, with a comfortable outdoor summer area.

Description: Shambala has an Indian/Tibetan design, and was recently expanded to three floors with a dance floor, live music, and 30-seat VIP hall. Moderately priced, the cuisine is a mix of Kazakh, European and Tibetan. It serves a good business lunch for 900 tenge, and stays open 24-hours a day.

Address: 30 Republic Avenue Phone: +7(7172) 33 32 2 The "Rafe Coffee & Food" Coffee house Description: This is a very friendly, intimate cafe where you can really relax and forget about work and worry. Popular with Astana residents and visitors alike, Italian designers created the interior, and all materials were imported from

Italy. You can choose between Turkish cuisine and some of the most delicately and artfully prepared Italian food you will find in Kazakhstan. If you are a pasta lover, this is the place for you. The servings are not huge, but they are delicious. In the Italian tradition, they treat each dish like a work of art. You can’t go wrong with the ravioli, the tortellini, or the beautifully done risotto. The lamb chops, the red fish, and the veal are also wonderful. The pizza is one of the best in the country and the calzone is the most authentic we have found. The chefs use all fresh and natural ingredients, with no preservatives, meaning salads are made the way they are supposed to be made – with green and ultracrisp lettuce, really flavorful plum tomatoes and real parmesan. Their coffee is also authentic and rich. A large banquet hall is available, and free Wi-Fi is provided.

Cuisine: Italian, Halal Turkish (but with a big emphasis on Italian). Rafe serves breakfast from 9am to 12pm

Address: 14 Tauelsizdik Street Phone: 8 (7172) 24 49 00 Hours: 08:00 am -12:00 pm Price range: $

Address: 2, 4th Microdistrict Phone: 8 (7172) 34 10 58 Hours: 6:00 pm – 4:00 am Redford Description: This moderately-priced café seats up to 45 people in its two main rooms, one smoking, one non-smoking. You usually find people dressed relatively casual here. It has a VIP room with 20 seats, and a separate nonsmoking room. The

The “Rafe Coffee & Food”

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105

Shopping

Keruen

stana’s shopping malls all have easy access, regardless of the weather, and offer a special point of interest for every family member, from indoor rock climbing to children’s entertainment centers and, of course, an array of chic boutiques. There are five major shopping malls in the center of town. Not unlike malls in the United States these malls are places where people of all ages congregate to spend time with family or friends. One can find everything: supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants, arcade game rooms and rides for the younger children. Some include fitness centers, hair salons and special entertainment centers for younger patrons. The Mega mall and Keruen offer an additional attraction at “BABYlon,”

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with arcade games, racing cars, pinball machines, 3D battle simulations, a roller rink and bouncing horsey rides for the very little kids. Asia Park organizes special performances, such as clowns and magicians. Parties are sometimes organized in the malls’ underground parking garages, complete with famous DJs and high-tech sound systems. And, of course, no disco (or underground garage) would be complete without strobe lights. Khan Shatyr, the latest mall to open, was inaugurated in July 2010 and has turned into a main tourist attraction in Astana. In addition to all the standard mall amenities, Khan Shatyr has a miniature train ride that circles the top level and a manufactured beach with sand from the Black Sea, water slides, a bar and a 24 C degree climate year-round. The mall also

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106 holds special beach parties, with imported DJs. The entry fee to the Khan Shatyr beach is about $60 for the day. Internationally recognized brand names can be found in the malls as well as in smaller boutiques. But be prepared to pay a little bit more than you would in Europe and significantly more than in the U.S. Prices vary from mall to mall, a reflection of neighborhood rents. There are numerous other shopping opportunities. At the Triumph Building and several malls, Empire Casa offers high-end decorative arts and gifts. For the more adventurous, there is also the traditional bazaar in the old section of the city. And probably one of the best kept secrets (until now) is the old antique stores where some real bargains can be found. Asia Park Description: This mall and entertainment center is spacious (45,000 sq. meters), up to date, has a 5-theater multiplex and a fabulous entertainment center for the kids. With 168 shops in the galleria, there are plenty of shopping opportunities. It boasts a fully-equipped Fitness First club and offers convenient middleclass shopping in a safe and friendly atmosphere.

Address: 24 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue Phones: 8 (7172) 97 87 67 8 (7172) 97 86 00 Hours: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Website: www.asiapark.kz/gorod_astana Keruen Description: Located on the Left Bank this mall attracts the younger crowd. It includes a food court, restaurants, a full grocery store and shops. It is considered to have the best multiplex with seven movie theaters.

Address: 9 Dostyk Street Phone: 8 (7172) 79 55 20 8 (7172) 79 55 22 Hours: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Website: www.keruen.kz

It has a unique design, like a large transparent tent, created to manage the extreme temperature range of the Central Asian steppe. Described as an urban-scale indoor park, shopping and entertainment venue, the shopping is upscale and varied. This is one place not to miss while in Astana.

Address: Turan Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 73 47 68 Hours: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm Website: www.khanshatyr.com Mega Description: Mega is one of the first shopping malls in Astana and is still quite popular. (As part of a promotion, the mall received about 100,000 birthday wishes on stickers on the anniversary of its establishment.) Mega is shaped like a glass doughnut with a dome in the center instead of a hole. As with most malls in Astana, Mega is family oriented and has movie theaters, a food court and restaurants.

Address: Kurgaldzhinskoe Highway Phone: 8 (7172) 79 18 51 Hours: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm Website: http://astana.megacenter.kz

Khan Shatyr

Sary Arka

Description: The Khan Shatyr is the latest addition to the Astana shopping and entertainment scene.

Description: This mall is for the shopping aficionado. It focuses on shopping more than entertainment

and has a wide variety of brand name shops and independent boutiques. Of course, it also has cinemas and an extensive food court. But keep in mind that its culture is shopping.

Address: 24 Turan Avenue Phones: 8 (7172) 51 56 06 8 (7172) 51 55 99 Hours: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm Website: www.saryarka.com Sine Tempore Description: This is the oldest shop-

ping center in the city and boats the most prestigious, and expensive, stores and boutiques. This mall is singular in that it does not have a multiplex cinema or entertainment center. The Venice Pizzeria on the premises, however, is quite popular. This mall is convenient to the Right Bank.

Address: 9 Beybitshilik Street Phone: 8 (7172) 75 38 07 Hours: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Empire Casa Description: This is the place to get high quality souvenirs of Kazakhstan. They have an exclusive range of products with original designs. Their products are perfect as corporate gifts or for weddings and other memorable occasions.

Address: 11 Kabanbai Batyr Avenue (Triumph Building, Section 2—for corporate clients) Phone: 8 (7172) 68 88 00 (corporate clients/office) Boutiques are also located in the Astana International Airport and the following malls: Mega, Keruen, Sine Tempore. (Please note: the telephone numbers listed here are for dialing in Astana from a cell phone. For more information on making telephone calls, please see the “Practical Information When in Kazakhstan” section.)

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Useful Information i

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108 TRANSPORTATION

& TRAVEL

Climate Kazakhstan’s distance from the ocean and its vast territory affect the country’s climate. The weather and temperature can vary dramatically based on geography and time of year. Also beware of the wind from the steppe, which can make a huge difference in how the temperature feels. Average temperatures for the two main cities are:

Astana January, -17 C (1 F) July, 20 C (68 F)

Almaty January, -6 C (21 F) July, 24 C (75 F)

GENERAL

AIRLINES

Astana International Airport Address: Airport 14 OS Phone: 8 (7172) 70 29 99 Website: www.astanaairport.kz

Lufthansa Phone: 8 (7172) 28 64 92 8 (7172) 28 64 93 Hours: Mon-Wed-Sat 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Tue-Thurs-Sun 11:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Train Station Address: Privokzalnaya square Phone: 8 (7172) 105 8 (7172) 38 07 07 8 (7172) 38 33 33 Bus Station Address: Privokzalnaya square Phone: 8 (7172) 39 85 04 8 (7172) 30 35 49

Taxis Arba taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 31 57 13 Hours: Around the clock Green Eyed Taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 34 44 94 Hours: Around the clock Pegasus XXI taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 37 24 24, 8 (7172) 37 18 18 Hours: Around the clock Samal taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 22 22 22, 8 (7172) 22 18 82 Hours: Around the clock Metropolitan taxi LLP Phone: 8 (7172) 32 02 20, 8 (701) 785 57 37 Hours: Around the clock Transport company Riksha VIP taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 62 72 60 8 (701) 441 75 57 Hours: Around the clock Elite taxi Phone: 8 (7172) 34 10 10 8 (701) 610 23 23

Turkish Airlines Phone: 8 (7172) 77 70 20 8 (7172) 77 70 21 Hours: 11:00 pm-7:00 am Transaero Phone: 8 (7172) 31 70 40 8 (7172) 31 83 50 Hours: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm Pulkovo Phone: 8 (7172) 21 69 17 8 (7172) 21 69 18 Hours: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Weekend 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Aerosvit Phone: 8 (7172) 50 82 74 Hours: Round the clock Belavia Phone: 8 (7172) 23 98 48 8 (7172) 23 98 25 Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

CAR RENTAL COMPANIES Transport Company Riksha Address: 25 Bogenbay Street, office 29 Phone: 8 (7172) 62 72 60 8 (701) 441 75 57 Hertz Caspian Project Supply Company Address: 6/1 Kabanbay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 58 00 56 8 (7172) 58 04 84 Bastion.kz Address: 166 Omarov Street Phone: 8 (7172) 34 70 70 8 (7172) 34 70 68 8 (7172) 54 49 63

Air Astana Phone: 8 (7172) 59 14 21 8 (7172) 59 14 22 Hours: 9:00 am – 8:30pm

TANDAU ST Address: 16/1 Maylin Street Phone: 8 (7172) 34 46 65 8 (7172) 34 46 65 VIPCAR KZ Address: 13 Auezov Street Phone: 8 (7172) 47 81 87 8 701 777 93 53

Austrian Airlines Phone: 8 (7172) 28 64 82 8 (7172) 39 00 00 Hours: Round the clock

DanZamir Address: 7 Seifullin Street, office 27 Phone: 8 (701) 918 69 17 8 (7172) 23 61 05

Berkut Phone: 8 (7172) 75 21 05 Hours: 9:00 am-6:00 pm

KazGPS Address: 19 Imanov Street, office 406B Phone: 8 (7172) 78 74 17 8 (7172) 78 74 18 8 (702) 46 74 538

Zhetyssu Phone: 8 (7172) 94 63 22 8 (7172) 94 62 96 Hours: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

OKAN Intercontinental Astana Address: 47 Abay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 39 10 00 Rent a Car Astana Address: 40 Auezov Street, office 211 Phone: 8 (7172) 77 96 90 8 (701) 933 26 80 Zhas Kala Address: 1A Mozhayskiy Street Phone: 8 (7172) 54 18 19 Green Spedition International Transport Company Phone: 8 (705) 118 49 18 OKAN Intercontinental Address: 113 Abay Street Phone: 8 (7172) 39 10 00

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110 PRACTICAL

INFORMATION WHEN IN KAZAKHSTAN

Courier Services BaidEx Address: 12 Momushuly Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 45 79 16, 8 (700) 459 87 47, 8 (707) 323 50 25

Astana Cellular Communications Companies Kazakhstan cell phone companies operate on a prepaid system. A SIM card can be purchased (GSM network) providing a local cell number. As credit runs out, it can be replenished easily by purchasing more via electronic dispensers throughout the city. They are located mainly in supermarkets, convenience stores and major shopping centers. Credit can also be purchased on scratch cards and loaded onto a cell phone by entering the code. No monthly billing plans exist in Kazakhstan at this time. Active Locations: 2 Pervaya Street and 21 Barayeva Street Phone: 8 (727) 258 80 00, for mobile 7070 (free of charge) URL: http://www.activ.kz/ Hours: 24 Beeline Phone: 8 (727) 350 05 00 URL: http://mobile.beeline.kz/ Dalacom Address: 5 Republic Avenue Phone: 8 (7172) 59 17 00 URL: http://www.dalacom.kz Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Sat 10:00 am-2:00 pm Kcell Location: Astana, Kabanbai-Batyr ave., 10 Phone: 8 (7172) 24 40 07 ext. 5007 URL: http://www.kcell.kz/ Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am-8:00 pm Sat - 9:00 am-6:00 pm Sun - 11:00 am-6:00 pm Parthword Location: 30 Republic Avenue Phone 8 (7172) 59 17 00, 8(7172) 21 77 77 URL: http://www.pathword.kz/ Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am-6:00 pm Sat 10:00 am-6:00 pm

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Emergency Services Police Landline: 102 Mobile: 102 Rescue Service Landline: 112 Mobile: 112 Astana firefighting and accident rescue operations service Landline: 101 Mobile: 101 Astana City Medical Emergency Service Landline: 103 Mobile: 103

Direct Delivery Address: 12a Kazhymukan Street 9th floor Phone: 8 (7172) 55 62 62 Mobile: 8 (707) 782 22 18 URL: http://www.dd.kz/ FedEx Address: 38 Tulebaev Street Phone: 8 (7273) 56 38 00 URL: http://fedex.com/kz/ Garant Post Service Address: 9 Lomonosov Street, # 203 Phone: 8 (7172) 215-458 URL: http://www.gpserv.kz/ Pony Express Tel.: 8 (727) 258 33 33, 8 (727) 317 26 26 URL: http://www.ponyexpress.kz/

General Information for Astana Landline: 109 Mobile: 109 Service “051” (Directory Assistance) Landline: 051 Mobile: 109 Department for Emergency Situations (Astana) Landline: 32 31 98 Mobile: 8 (7172) 32 31 98 Fire Department of Astana City Landline: 37 41 74 Mobile: 8 (7172) 37 41 74 Astana City Telecommunication Center (Astanatelecom) Landline: 58 07 61 Mobile: 8 (7172) 58 0761 Astana City International Airport (information) Landline: 77 70 50 Mobile: 8 (7172) 77 70 50 Railway Station (information) Landline: 93 39 26 Mobile: 8 (7172) 93 39 26 Bus Station (information) Landline: 38 11 35, 39 85 04 Mobile: 8 (7172) 38 11 35

Making Telephone Calls in Kazakhstan Making telephone calls in Kazakhstan can be a little confusing for the new visitor. Here are some instructions that will, hopefully, make it a little easier. Local Calls If you are calling locally how you dial will depend on whether you are using a land line or a cellular phone. If you are calling a land line from a land line, it is easy. Simply dial the local number (last six digits). If you are calling a land line from a cell phone, you must dial the prefix: 8 + the city code (7172 for Astana) and then the local number. If you are calling a cell phone from a land line or another cell phone, you must also dial the prefix: 8 + the cell company code + the number International calls If you are calling abroad from Kazakhstan: Dial for international access (810) + the country code + the regional code (if any) + the local telephone number. To call Kazakhstan from abroad: Dial the code for international access + Kazakhstan’s country code (7) + the Kazakhstan city code + the Kazakhstan local telephone number. Kazakhstan Dialing Codes: Almaty region: 727, 728 Astana city dial code: 717

3/29/11 12:07:36 AM

PRACTICAL INFORMATION WHEN IN KAZAKHSTAN 111 News About Kazakhstan and the region

There are a variety of websites in Kazakh, Russian and English with information on Kazakhstan. We have listed many of the websites that include an English language version here. If the site does not immediately open into an English language version, look for the “Eng” button. Not all the websites will have everything translated into English, but most have sufficient information to make the sites useful.

www.centralasianewswire.com (ENG) Leading English language newswire covering Central Asia

General Information: www.EdgeKazakhstan.com Edge Magazine www.kazakhstanlive.com International Information Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan www.visitkazakhstan.com/en/ Official Tourism website of the Committee of Tourism Industry Kazakh Government Websites: www.akorda.kz www.akorda.kz/en (ENG) Official site of the President of the Republic www.mfa.kz Official site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

http : / / w w w.

Useful Websites

www.mts.gov.kz www.mts.gov.kz/?lang=en (ENG) Official site of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport

www.parlam.kz www.parlam.kz/Information.aspx?lan=en-US (ENG) Official site of Parliament www.government.kz www.en.government.kz/ (ENG) Official site of the government www.almaty.kz www.almaty.kz/page.php?lang=2 (ENG) Official site of the city of Almaty www.astana.kz http://en.astana.kz/ (ENG) Official site of the city of Astana www.astana-almaty2011.kz www.astana-almaty2011.kz/en.html (ENG) Official site of the Astana-Almaty 2011 Asia Winter Games

www.inform.kz www.inform.kz/eng (ENG) Official site of KazInform Information agency

www.khabar.kz Official site of Khabar News Agency www.kazpravda.kz www.kazpravda.kz/l/eng (ENG) Official site of the “KazPravda” daily newspaper

www.newsline.kz (ENG) Kazakhstan Newsline, a subscription-based source of business information

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES AS OF MARCH 25.2011 TENGE USD

145.84

EUR

206.83

RUR

5.14

AUD

148.85

GBP

235.17

BYR

0.05

HUF

0.77

DKK

27.73

AED

39.69

CAD

149.43

CNY

22.22

KWD

525.63

KGS

3.07

LVL

292.01

LTL

59.89

MDL

12.29

NOK

26.25

PLN

51.47

Tourism and Leisure: www.restoran.kz www.restoran.kz/en (ENG) Restaurant information for Astana and Almaty

SAR

38.88

XDR

231.39

SGD

115.68

TRL

93.94

www.realkz.com www.realkz.com/page.php?lang=2 (ENG) Cities, hotels, restaurants in Kazakhstan

UZS

0.08

UAH

18.29

www.kaztour-association.com (RUS) Kazakhstan Tourist Association www.centralasia.travel (ENG) Central Asia Travel guide www.eco-tourism.kz www.eco-tourism.kz/index.php?lng=eng (ENG) Kazakhstan Ecotourism

110-111_Practical Information.indd 111

CZK

8.41

SEK

23.07

CHF

160.67

EEK

12.51

ZAR

21.22

KRW

0.13

JPY

1.80

3/29/11 12:07:51 AM

112 DIPLOMATIC

MISSIONS

(Please note: the telephone numbers listed here are for dialing in Astana from a cell phone. For more information on making telephone calls, please see the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Practical Information When in Kazakhstanâ&#x20AC;? section.)

Embassy of Afghanistan 2,3 Karaotkel Microdistrict, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 57 14 42/43/44 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 04 54 E-mail: Af_embassyalmaty@yahoo.com Website: www.afghanembassy.kz Consular section: 21 Dubok, 2nd Microdistrict, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 255 6324 Fax: +7 (7272) 255 5663

Embassy of Austria 62 Kosmonavtov Street, 9th floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 97 78 69/78/79 Fax: +7 (7172) 97 78 50 E-mail: astana-ob@bmeia.gv.at

112_113_DIPLOMATIC_MISSIONS.indd 112

30 Sarayshyk Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 28 60 67 +7 (7172) 24 18 30 Fax: +7 (7172) 28 60 50 E-mail: embassy.astana@mfa.gov.eg Cultural Centre: 15 Teplichnaya Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 63 96 95 Fax: +7 (7272) 56 98 02 Trade department: 51 Kaldayakov Street, Office 33 Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 291 8997 Fax: +7 (7272) 293 0391 E-mail: almaty@tamseel-esc.gov.eg

Embassy of Finland Astana Tower 17th floor 12 Samal, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 44 21 21 Fax: +7 (7172) 44 21 16

B-7 Diplomatic town, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 25 11/12 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 15 37 E-mail: iranembassy@itte.kz

62 Kosmonavtov Street Chubary Microdistrict, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 33 90 +7 (7172) 24 38 68 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 36 86 Email: ambasciata.astana@esteri.it Email: visti.astana@esteri.it Consular Section: Tel/Fax: +7 (7172) 91 03 08 E-mail: consolare.astana@esteri.it Honorary Consulate: 40 Kazybek Bi Street, Almaty Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 266 36 09

Embassy of Japan

109 Karaotkel, 2nd Microdistrict Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 56 37 14 +7 (7172) 56 37 55 +7 (7172) 56 37 84 Fax: +7 (7172) 56 38 26 E-mail: gremb.ast@mfa.gr 62 Kosmonavtov Street, 9th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 55 03 23 Fax: +7 (7172) 55 03 24 E-mail: mission.ast@kum.hu General consulate: 4 Musabayev Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 255 1308 +7 (7272) 258 1836 Fax: +7 (7272) 258 1837 E-mail: mission.ala@kum.hu

Embassy of India

5th floor, Kaskad Business Centre 6/1 Kabanbai Batyr Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 92 57 00/03 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 57 15 E-mail: hoc.astana@mea.gov.in

62 Kosmonavtov Street, Chubary, 5th Floor, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 97 78 43 Fax: +7 (7172) 97 78 42 Office in Almaty: 41 Kazybek Bi Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 98 06 00 Fax: +7 (7272) 98 06 01

Embassy of Greece

Embassy of Hungary

19 Konayev Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 28 60 92/93 E-mail: astemb@iraqmfamail.com

Embassy of Italy

62, Kosmonavtov Street, 6th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 55 62 00/19 Fax: +7 (7172) 55 62 12 E-mail: BritishEmbassy@mail.online.kz Website: www.ukinkz.fco.gov.uk Office in Almaty: 97-2A Zholdasbekov Street Samal-2nd Microdistrict, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 250 61 91/92 Fax: +7 (7272) 250 71 12 E-mail: AlmatyVizaGeneral@fco.gov.uk

Embassy of Iraq

Embassy of Israel 8 Auezov Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 68 87 39 Fax: +7 (7172) 68 87 35 E-mail: ambass-sec@astana.mfa.gov.il

Embassy of Great Britain

Arman Business Centre 6 Sary Arka Street, 13th Floor, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 66 04 72 Fax: +7 (7172) 66 01 42 E-mail: astana@embassy.mzv.cz Office in Almaty: 2A Nurly Tau Business Centre 5 Al-Farabi Avenue 8th Floor Phone: +7 (7272) 77 70 93 Fax: +7 (7272) 77 70 92 E-mail: commerce_almaata@mzv.cz

Embassy of Egypt

Embassy of Iran

62 Kosmonavtov Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 79 12 00 +7 (7172) 79 12 80 Fax: +7 (7172) 79 12 13 E-mail: info@astana.diplo.de General Consulate: 2 Ivanilova Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 262 83 41/46/49 Fax: +7 (7272) 50 62 76 E-mail: info@almaty.diplo.de www.almaty.diplo.de

Embassy of Czech Republic

Office in Almaty: 71 Maulenov Street, 3rd Floor, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 278 44 55/65 Fax: +7 (7272) 278 46 85 E-mail: cons.almaty@mea.gov.in

Embassy of Germany

18 Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, Office 2 Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 24 67 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 26 38 E-mail: cubasi@mail.online.kz Website: www.cubakaz.com

Diplomatic Town, B-6, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 15 81 +7 (7172) 24 10 97 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 15 32 E-mail: astana@azembassy.kz General Consulate: 12, 4th Microdistrict, Aktau Phone: +7 (7292) 33 67 06/07

6/1 Kabanbai Batyr Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 46 82/84 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 47 43 Website: www.brasembastana.kz

C-4 Diplomatic town, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 32 58 Tel/Fax: +7 (7172) 24 34 26 E-mail: astana.emb.@mfa.gov.ge astana.con@mfa.gov.ge

Embassy of Cuba

Embassy of Azerbaijan

Embassy of Brazil

Embassy of Georgia

28 Kabanbai Batyr Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 79 35 61 +7 (7172) 79 35 83 (consular section) Fax: +7 (7172) 79 35 65 Trade-Economic Department: B-2 Diplomatic town Phone: +7 (7172) 24 25 10 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 13 81 General Consulate: 12 Baitasov Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 270 02 21

174B Furmanov Street, 3rd Floor Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan Phone: +7 (727) 2615160 E-mail: ahc.kaz@gmail.com Website: www.russia.embassy.gov.au

62 Kosmonavtov Street, 3rd Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 97 44 85/86 Fax: +7 (7172) 97 78 49 E-mail: embassy.astana@diplobel.fed.be Trade-economic department: 5th floor office 501 2A 5 Al-Faraby Avenue, Almaty E-mail: almaty@awex-wallonia.kz

Embassy of China

Consulate of Australia

Embassy of Belgium

62 Kosmonavtov Street, 4th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 79 51 00 Fax: +7 (7172) 79 51 01 Office in Almaty: 173 Furmanov Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7273) 96 98 00 Fax: +7 (7273) 96 98 20 E-mail: ambafrance@mail.ru

34 Karasay Batyr Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 250 11 51 Fax: +7 (7272) 258 24 93 E-mail: almat@international.gc.ca Office in Astana: 6 Sary Arka Street Phone: +7 (7172) 79 30 64 Fax: +7 (7172) 79 30 69

19 Kyz Zhibek Street Komsomolski Microdistrict, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 40 20 15/17 Fax: +7 (7172) 40 19 70 E-mail: armeniaemb.kz@gmail.com

35 Kenesary Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 32 48 29 +7 (7172) 32 06 65 +7 (7172) 32 00 34 +7 (7172) 32 48 49 Fax: +7 (7172) 32 18 70 Consular section: Phone: +7 (7172) 32 48 49 E-mail: Kazakhstan@belembassy.org Diplomatic Mission in Almaty: 115/157 Zheltoksan Street Tel/Fax: +7 (7272) 272 9787 E-mail: Kazakhstan@belembassy.org

Embassy of France

Isker Business Centre 15 Sary Arka Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 90 15 15 Fax: +7 (7172) 90 18 19 E-mail: astanabulemb@mail.ru

Embassy of Canada

Embassy of Armenia

Embassy of Belarus

Embassy of Bulgaria

Embassy of Jordan 8/2 Novostroitelnaya Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 52 54/55 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 52 53 E-mail: astana@fm.gov.jo

Embassy of Korea

6/1 Kabanbai Batyr Street, 9th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 92 55 91/92/93 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 55 96 Office in Almaty: 52a Ivanilov Street, Gornyi Gigant Phone: +7 (727) 263 26 60/91 +7 (727) 263 29 89 +7 (727) 263 62 28/29 Fax: +7 (727) 264 33 51 E-mail: embassy_news@mail.ru

Embassy of Kyrgyzstan

B-5 Diplomatic Town, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 20 24 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 24 14 Consular Section: Phone: +7 (7172) 24 20 40 E-mail: kr@mail.online.kz

3/29/11 12:46:30 AM

i +7 (7172) 55 11 00 Fax: +7 (7172) 58 00 87 E-mail: peire@statoil.com

General Consulate: 30A Lugansky Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (727) 264 22 12 Fax: +7 (7272) 64 22 11 E-mail: consul.agencykg@mail.kz

Embassy of Latvia 6/1 Kabanbai Batyr Street, Office 122 Astana Phone/fax: +7 (7172) 92 53 17 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 53 19 E-mail: embassy.kazakhstan@mfa.gov.lv Email: consulate.kazakhstan@mfa.gov.lv

Embassy of Oman

Embassy of Pakistan Beijing Palace Business Centre 27 Syganak, Astana E-mail: parepalmaty@yahoo.com

2 Tauelsizdik Street, 13th Floor, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 79 35 15 Fax: +7 (7172) 79 35 16 E-mail: embassylebanon-kz@hotmail.com

Embassy of Libya

15 Iskanderov Street, Gornyi Gigant Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 63 10 40 Fax: +7 (7272) 63 19 75 Consular Section: Phone: +7 (7272) 63 25 05 Military Attaché: Phone: +8 (702) 215 7051 Fax: +7 (7272) 24 03 40 E-mail: amb.kz@urm.lt Website: www.kz.mfa.lt Consulate: 15 Ploshad Respubliki, Office 544 Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 67 25 08 Fax: +7 (7272) 50 65 49

Embassy of Qatar

Embassy of Romania

Embassy of Mongolia

28 Sarayshyk Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 28 62 03 Fax: +7 (7172) 28 62 03 E-mail: amb@romania.kz

1 Musabayev Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 69 35 36 Fax: +7 (7272) 58 17 27 Consulate: +7 (7272) 229 37 90 E-mail: info@mongemb.kz 62 Kosmonavtov Street, Office 801 Astana Phone: +7 (7272) 55 54 50 Fax: +7 (7272) 55 54 74 E-mail: ast@minbuza.nl E-mail: nl_embassy.astana@yahoo.com Office in Almaty: 103 Nauryzbay Batyr Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 50 37 73 Fax: +7 (7272) 50 37 72 E-mail: alm@minbuza.nl

Embassy of Norway 17th floor, Astana Tower, 12 Samal Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 59 18 30

112_113_DIPLOMATIC_MISSIONS.indd 113

20A Saraishyk Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 28 61 23 Fax: +7 (7172) 28 61 33 E-mail: qatarembassy.astana@gmail.com

DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS 113 Embassy of Turkey

Consulate: 78 Mukhit Street, Uralsk Phone: 8 (7112) 51 16 26 Fax: 8 (7112) 24 24 86 Trade Missions: 39 Kenesary Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 32 77 89 Fax: +7 (7172) 32 81 51

6/1 Kabanbay Batyr Street, Office 23, 101, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 92 58 70/73 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 58 74 E-mail: astanaturk@gmail.com Office in Almaty: 29 Tole Bi Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 78 41 65/77 Fax: +7 (7272) 78 41 68 E-mail: almatyturkbe@gmail.com

4 Jandosov Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 75 49 55 Fax: +7 (7272) 75 46 06 E-mail: torgrf-astana@mail.ru 19 Akyn Sara Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 92 57 52/53/54/55 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 57 62 E-mail: kzemb@mofa.gov.sa

Embassy of Turkmenistan

Embassy of Slovakia 5 Karaotkel – 2nd Microdistrict, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 56 37 90 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 20 48 Defense Attaché: Phone: +7 (7172) 24 40 55 E-mail: zuastana1@post.sk Trade Mission: 1A Tikhii, Energetic vil. Almatinskaya Oblast Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 97 74 43 E-mail: obeo.almaty@mail.ru

Embassy of South Africa 6/1 Kabanbay Batyr Street, 17th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 92 53 27/28/29 Fax: +7 (7172) 92 53 29 E-mail: cons@saembassy.kz Email: administration@saembassy.kz

Embassy of Spain

Embassy of the Russian Federation 4 Barayev Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 44 08 06 +7 (7172) 44 07 93/83/86/92/89 +7 (7172) 44 08 01 Fax: +7 (7172) 44 08 07 +7 (7172) 32 22 09 E-mail: rfekz@yandex.ru Website: www.rfembassy.kz Consular section: Phone: +7 (7172) 44 07 83 +7 (7172) 44 04 80 Fax: +7 (7172) 44 07 84 General Consulate: 4 Jandosov Street Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 74 50 87, 274 61 22 Fax: +7 (7272) 74 71 68/72 E-mail: gcrusalmaata@gmail.com

Embassy of Saudi Arabia

37 Kabanbay Batyr Street, Block 4 Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 28 75 57/62 Fax: +7 (7172) 28 75 55 E-mail: pal.emb@rambler.ru Isker Business Centre, 15 Sary Arka Street, 6th Floor Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 90 10 11/14 Fax: +7 (7172) 90 10 12 Email: joanna.jessa@poland.kz General Consulate: 9 Jarkentskaya Street, Gornyi Gigant Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 58 16 17 +7 (7272) 58 15 51 Fax: +7 (7272) 58 15 50 E-mail: ambpol@poland.kz E-mail: polkonsulat@poland.kz Trade Mission: 72 Zatayevich Street Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 64 79 11 +7 (7272) 63 44 27 E-mail: almaty@pol-trade.kz

Embassy of Lithuania

Embassy of Netherlands

Embassy of Poland

6, 36-8 Street, Karaotkel, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 56 37 64/5/6 Fax: +7 (7172) 56 37 23

9A Rubinshtein Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7273) 33 44 83/4/5 Fax: +7 (7273) 87 28 25 E-mail:mwalmaty@nursat.kz

Embassy of Palestine

Embassy of Lebanon

Embassy of Malaysia

3 Novostroitelnaya Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 18 61/62/64 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 18 63

47-25 Kenesary Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 20 15 35/6/7/8/9/0 Fax: +7 (7172) 20 03 17 +7 (7172) 20 02 24 (consular section) E-mail: emb.astana@maec.es Trade-Economic Department: 20 A, Kazybek Bi Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 93 02 40 +7 (7172) 293 02 66 Fax: +7 (7272) 93 02 59 E-mail: almaty@mcx.es

8/1 Otyrar Street, Astana Phone/Fax: +7 (7172) 21 08 82 +7 (7172) 21-08-23 Military Attaché: +7 7172 20-12-95 E-mail: tm_emb@astanatelecom.kz Consular section: 6/109, Abay Street, Almaty Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 50 96 04

Embassy of Ukraine

41 Kenesary Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 32 60 42 Fax: +7 (7172) 32 68 11 Consulate: Phone/Fax: +7 (7172) 32 43 25 E-mail: embassy_ua@inbox.kz General Consulate 13a Makatayev Street , Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 30 16 00 Fax: +7 (7272) 30 26 01 E-mail: uaconsul@gmail.com Trade Mission: Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 32 74 80 E-mail: tem_ua@mbox.kz

Embassy of the United Arab Emirates C-15 Diplomatic Town, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 36 75 +7 (7172) 28 60 47 +7 (7172) 28 60 75 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 36 76 E-mail: emaratembassy_kz@yahoo.com

Embassy of the United States

12 Samal District, 17th Floor, Astana

3, 22-23 Street, Ak Bulak 4, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 70 21 00 Fax: +7 (7172) 34 08 90 Consular Section: Phone: 70 21 00 Fax: +7 (7172) 70 22 80 E-mail: info@usembassy.kz

Embassy of Switzerland

Embassy of Uzbekistan

8th floor Kosmonavtov Street, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 97 98 92/93 Fax: +7 (7172) 97 98 94 Visa section: Phone: +7 (7172) 97 98 95 Fax: +7 (7172) 97 98 96

36 Baribayev Street, Almaty Phone: +7 (7272) 91 78 86 Fax: +7 (7272) 91 10 55 Consulate Phone: +7 (7272) 91 02 35 E-mail: emb-Uzbekistan@mail.ru

Embassy of the Vatican

Embassy of Tajikistan

20 Zelenaya Alleya Street Chubary Microdistrict, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 24 16 03, +7 (7172) 24 12 69 Fax: +7 (7172) 24 16 04 E-mail: nuntius_kazakhstan@lycos.com

Embassy of Sweden

15 Marsovaya Street, T Chubary Aicrodistrict, Astana Phone/Fax: +7 (7172) 24 09 29 E-mail: embassy_tajic@mbox.kz Office in Almaty: 16 Sanatornaya Street, Baganashyl vil. Phone/Fax: +7 (7272) 69 70 59 E-mail: tajemb_almaty@ok.kz

Embassy of Vietnam 6 Sary Arka Avenue, Astana Phone: +7 (7172) 66 03 75 Fax: +7 (7172) 66 03 79

3/29/11 12:46:53 AM

114

114_Map Astana.indd 114

3/29/11 12:37:43 AM

KAZAKHSTAN:

Promoting Stronger Dialogue and Better Understanding On June 28, 2011, Kazakhstan will assume the Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers for the Organization of Islamic Conference, a 57-nation organization representing 20 percent of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population During its chairmanship, Kazakhstan will work to improve security for all, address social and economic problems and champion the development of science, technology and environmental protection. At this critical moment in history, when the world faces unprecedented challenges and remarkable transformations, Kazakhstan will work tirelessly to promote a greater dialogue and better understanding between cultures and civilizations. Kazakhstanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious tolerant society can facilitate this critical dialogue; helping to foster peace, mutual understanding and a safer world.

www.mfa.kz