Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the

largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an

autonomous republic An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Man ...

as part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, then from 1936 to 1991 as a

union republic The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were National delimitation in the Soviet Union, national-based administrative units of ...

and finally from 1991 as an independent state to 1997 when the government relocated the capital to

Akmola Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, thou ...

(renamed Astana in 1998, Nur-Sultan in 2019, and back to Astana in 2022). Almaty is still the major commercial, financial, and cultural centre of Kazakhstan, as well as its most populous and most cosmopolitan city. The city is located in the mountainous area of southern Kazakhstan near the border with

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

in the foothills of the

Trans-Ili Alatau Ile Alatau ( kk, Ile Alatauy, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan st ...

at an elevation of 700–900 m (2,300–3,000 feet), where the Large and Small Almatinka rivers run into the plain."Almaty, Kazakhstan"
, ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' The city, just like

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...

and

Shymkent Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one ...

, does not belong to any

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

and is officially a "city of state importance". The city has been part of the

UNESCO Creative Cities Network The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a project of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a major factor in their urban development.Primary Health Care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

where the

Alma Ata Declaration Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC), Almaty (formerly Alma-Ata), Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan), Soviet Union 6–12 September 1978.WHODeclaration from the websi ...

was adopted, marking a paradigm shift in global public health.

Status

From 1929 to 1936, the city, then known as Alma-Ata, was the capital of the

Kazakh ASSR The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (russian: Казахская Автономная Социалистическая Советская Республика; kk, Qazaq Aptonom Sotsijalistik Sovettik Respublikasь), abbreviated as K ...

. From 1936 to 1991, Alma-Ata was the capital of the

Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...

. After Kazakhstan became independent in 1991, the city was renamed Almaty in 1993 and continued as the capital until 1997, when the capital was moved to Akmola (renamed Astana in 1998, Nur-Sultan in 2019, and again

in 2022). Since then Almaty has been referred to as the 'southern capital' of Kazakhstan. Almaty remains the largest, most developed, and most ethnically and culturally diverse city in

. Due to development by the Soviet Union and relocation of workers and industries from European areas of the Soviet Union during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the city has a high proportion of

ethnic Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

and

Uyghurs The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghur ...

. The city lies in the foothills of

(or Zailiysky Alatau) in the extreme south-east. It has a relatively mild climate with warm and dry summers and quite cold winters. Since the city is in a tectonically active area, it has an endemic risk of

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

s. Although most tremors do not cause any significant damage, Almaty has suffered some large destructive earthquakes.

Etymology

The name ''Almaty'' has its roots in the medieval settlement ''Almatau'', that existed near the present-day city. A disputed theory holds that the name is derived from the Kazakh word for 'apple' (алма), and is often translated as "full of apples". Originally it was Almatau which means Apple Mountain. There is great

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...

among the wild apples in the region surrounding Almaty; the region west of the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

mountains is thought to be the apple's ancestral home. The wild ''

Malus sieversii ''Malus sieversii'' is a wild apple native to the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan. It has recently been shown to be the primary ancestor of most cultivars of the domesticated apple (''Malus domestica''). It was first described as ...

'' is considered a likely candidate for the ancestor of the modern domestic apple. The city's name was written as ''Ālmātī'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Perso-Arabic script The Persian alphabet ( fa, الفبای فارسی, Alefbâye Fârsi) is a writing system that is a version of the Arabic script used for the Persian language spoken in Iran ( Western Persian) and Afghanistan (Dari Persian) since the 7th cent ...

History

Prehistoric Almaty

During 1000–900 BC in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, the first farmers and cattle-breeders established settlements in the territory of Almaty. During the

Saka The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who hist ...

period (from 700 BC to the beginning of the Christian era), these lands were occupied by the Saka and later

Wusun The Wusun (; Eastern Han Chinese *''ʔɑ-suən'' <

Old Chinese

(140 BCE < 436 BCE): *''Ɂâ-sûn'') were an ancient semi-

tribes, who inhabited the territory north of the

mountain range. Evidence of these times can be found in the numerous burial mounds (

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

) and ancient settlements, especially the giant burial mounds of the Saka tsars. The most famous archaeological finds have been "The Golden Man", also known as "The Golden Warrior", from the

Issyk Kurgan The Issyk kurgan, in south-eastern Kazakhstan, less than 20 km east from the Talgar alluvial fan, near Issyk, is a burial mound discovered in 1969. It has a height of six meters and a circumference of sixty meters. It is dated to the 4th ...

; the Zhalauly treasure, the

Kargaly Kargaly is a copper mining-metallurgical district in the southern Urals of Russia. Prehistoric sites in Kargaly form a large and unique complex, especially when compared to neighboring metal production centers or the more distant ancient centers ...

diadem, and the

Zhetysu Zhetysu, or Jeti-Suu ( kk, , Жетісу, pronounced ; ky, ''Jeti-Suu'', (), meaning "seven rivers"; also transcribed ''Zhetisu'', ''Jetisuw'', ''Jetysu'', ''Jeti-su'', ''Jity-su'', ''Жетысу'',, United States National Geospatial-I ...

arts bronzes (boilers, lamps and altars). During the period of Saka and Wusun governance, Almaty became an early education centre.

15th–18th centuries

In the 15th–18th centuries, the city was in decline as trade activities were decreasing on this part of the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

. European nations were conducting more overseas trade by shipping. This period was one of crucial ethnic and political transformations. The

Dzungar Dzungar may refer to: *Dzungar people, Oirat tribes in the Dzungar Khanate *Dzungar Khanate, a historical empire * Jungar Banner, an administrative division of China *Junggar Basin The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in ...

invaded, dominating the Kazakh people for a period. The Kazakh fought to protect their land and preserve independence. In 1730 the Kazakh defeated the Dzungar in the Anyrakay mountains, northwest of Almaty. During the eighteenth century, the city and region was roughly on the border between the

Khanate of Kokand The Khanate of Kokand ( fa, ; ''Khānneshin-e Khoqand'', chg, ''Khoqand Khānligi'') was a Central Asian polity in the Fergana Valley centred on the city of Kokand between 1709 and 1876. Its territory is today divided between Uzbekistan, Ky ...

and

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. It was then absorbed as part of the Russian Empire in the 1850s.

Foundation of Verny

To defend its empire, Russia built Fort ''Verny'' near the

mountain range between the Bolshaya and Malenkaya Almatinka rivers. Construction began on 4 February 1854 and was nearly completed by the autumn of that year. The fort was a wooden palisade, shaped like a pentagon, with one side built along the Malaya Almatinka. Later, the wood fence was replaced with a brick wall with embrasures. The main facilities were erected around the large square for training and parading. In 1867 Verniy Fort was developed as a town called ''Almatinsk''; the town soon returned to the name Verny. On 28 May 1887, at 4 a.m., an

almost totally destroyed Verny in 11–12 minutes. By 1906 the population of the city had grown to 27,000, two-thirds of whom being Russians and Ukrainians.

Soviet era

In 1918 following the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Bolshevik government,

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

power was established in Verny. The city and the region became part of the

Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (initially, the Turkestan Socialist Federative Republic; 30 April 191827 October 1924) was an autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic located in Soviet Central As ...

(RSFSR). On 5 February 1921, Verny was renamed Alma-Ata, one of the city's ancient names, by a joint consultation of regional government representatives, professional trade associations, and local faith-based groups. In 1926, the Council of Labor and Defence approved the construction of the

Turkestan–Siberia Railway The Turkestan–Siberian Railway (commonly abbreviated as the ''Turk–Sib'', kk, Түрксіб, translit=Türksib, , ; russian: Турксиб, translit=Turksib) is a broad gauge railway that connects Central Asia with Siberia. It starts nort ...

that was a crucial element of the future growth of Kazakhstan, especially in the east and southeast of the region. The Turkestan–Siberia Railway construction also had a decisive economic impact that strongly influenced the destiny of Alma-Ata as the capital of the

. In 1930 the construction of the highway and railway to Alma-Ata was completed. On 29 April 1927, the government decided to transfer the capital of the

Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (russian: Казахская Автономная Социалистическая Советская Республика; kk, Qazaq Aptonom Sotsijalistik Sovettik Respublikasь), abbreviated as K ...

from

Kyzyl-Orda Kyzylorda ( kk, Қызылорда, translit=Qyzylorda, ), formerly known as Kzyl-Orda (russian: Кзыл-Орда), Ak-Mechet (Ак-Мечеть), Perovsk (Перовск), and Fort-Perovsky (Форт-Перовский), is a city in south-cen ...

to Alma-Ata, within the RFSFR. This attracted more trade and people working with the government, stimulating intensive development in the city. On 31 January 1928,

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...

, leader of the 1917

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, accompanied by his wife

Natalia Sedova Natalia Ivanovna Sedova (russian: Ната́лья Ива́новна Седо́ва; 5 April 1882 Romny, Russian Empire – 23 January 1962, Corbeil-Essonnes, Paris, France) is best known as the second wife of Leon Trotsky, the Russian revolutio ...

and his son

Lev Sedov Lev Lvovich Sedov (russian: Лев Львович Седов, also known as Leon Sedov; 24 February 1906 – 16 February 1938) was the first son of the Russian communist leader Leon Trotsky and his second wife Natalia Sedova. He was born when his f ...

, was exiled to Alma-Ata by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, then head of the

All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

in Moscow. Trotsky was expelled from Alma-Ata to Turkey in February 1929, and went into exile in Mexico City. The Alma-Ata airport was opened in 1930, opening up a direct connection from Alma-Ata to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, the center of the

Soviet government The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...

. Alma-Ata became the main entry by air to

, a status which it retains today. Transformation of this small town into the capital of the

was accelerated by the large-scale construction of new administrative and government facilities and housing. The

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

of 1936–38 extended to

, where numerous intellectuals, activists, leaders, teachers and others were killed. The Soviet government dominated the population. During the

1930s File:1930s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson shows the effects of the Great Depression; due to extreme drought conditions, farms across the south-central United States become dry a ...

Kazakh nomads suffered

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

after disruption of their traditional living patterns. (see: Asharshylyq) In

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

the Architecture and Planning Bureau developed a plan to enhance Alma-Ata as the new cultural capital of the

. The plan was based on the existing rectangular system of districts. They were to be strengthened and reconstructed.

World War II

During

the government dramatically affected the city's population and structures. To better organize the home front and concentrate industrial and material resources, the government evacuated 26,000 people and numerous industries from the European theatre of war. Alma-Ata hosted over 30 industrial facilities removed from the European section of

the USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

, eight evacuated hospitals, 15 institutes, universities and technical schools; and around 20 cultural institutions. Motion picture production companies from

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, and

were also moved to Alma-Ata at this time. This brought in so many

ethnic Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

that the

Kazakhs The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...

became a

minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...

in the region.

Industrialization

During the years 1941–1945 the industrial potential of the city increased significantly. Development increased during the postwar years. The population of the city grew from 104,000 in 1919 to 365,000 in 1968. By 1967 the city had 145 enterprises, with the bulk of these being light and food industries. The main industries in Alma-Ata were: food processing (36% of gross industrial output), based largely on locally abundant fruit and vegetable raw materials, light industry (31%), and heavy industry (33%). The main products of the region were: *Food: Meat, flour and cereals (pasta factory), milk,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

s, canned fruit, tobacco, confectionery, alcoholic spirits,

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, yeast, and tea (packaging) *Light industry: textiles, fur, knitting,

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

s, footwear, apparel, printing, and the Almaty Cotton combine. *Heavy industry: electrical engineering, foundry engineering, car repair, bearing repair, building materials, woodworking, concrete structures and structural elements, and housebuilding.

Urban development

International conference on Primary Health Care - Conferencia Internacional sobre Atención Primaria de Salud - Almaty -1978

From 1966 to 1971, 1,400,000 square metres of

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

and

cooperative housing A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity, usually a cooperative or a corporation, which owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. Housing cooperatives are a distinc ...

were built. Annually, around 300,000 square metres of dwellings were under construction. Most of the buildings constructed during this time were

earthquake-proof Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. With better understanding of seismic demand on structures and with our recent exp ...

multi-story buildings. The Soviet government tried to diversify architectural forms to create a more varied cityscape. During this period, many schools, hospitals, cultural, and entertainment facilities were constructed, including Lenin's Palace, the Kazakhstan Hotel, and the

Medeo The Medeu ( kk, Медеу, ''Medeu''), is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley ( Medeu Valley, or the valley of Malaya Almatinka River) on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1, ...

Sports Complex. The supersonic transport

Tupolev Tupolev (russian: Ту́полев, ), officially Joint Stock Company Tupolev, is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Basmanny District, Moscow. Tupolev is successor to the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau (OKB-156, design off ...

Tu-144 The Tupolev Tu-144 (russian: Tyполев Ту-144; NATO reporting name: Charger) is a Soviet supersonic airliner, supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev in operation from 1968 to 1999. The Tu-144 was the world's first commercial sup ...

went into service on 26 December 1975, carrying mail and freight between Moscow and Alma-Ata in preparation for passenger services; these began in November 1977. The Aeroflot flight on 1 June 1978 was the 55th and last scheduled passenger flight of the Tu-144. Alma-Ata was the host city for a 1978 international conference on

Primary Health Care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

. The

was adopted, marking a paradigm shift in global public health. On 16 December 1986, the

Jeltoqsan The Jeltoqsan ( kk, Желтоқсан көтерілісі , translit=Jeltoqsan köterılısı , lit=December uprising), also spelled Zheltoksan, or December of 1986 were protests that took place in Almaty, Alma-Ata, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Repub ...

riot took place in the

Brezhnev Square Republic Square ( kz, Республика Алаңы, ''Respublika Alañy'', russian: Площадь Республики), also known as Independence Square or New Square is the main square in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is used for public events. T ...

(now Republic Square) in response to General Secretary

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

's dismissal of

Dinmukhamed Kunayev Dinmukhamed Akhmetuly "Dimash" Kunaev (also spelled Kunayev; kk, Дінмұхаммед (Димаш) Ахметұлы Қонаев, Dınmūhammed (Dimaş) Ahmetūly Qonaev, russian: Динмухаме́д Ахме́дович (Минлиахме ...

. On 7 September 1988, the subway

Almaty Metro Almaty Metro ( kk, Алматы метрополитені, ''Almaty Metropolitenı''; russian: Алматинский метрополитен) is a rapid transit/metro system in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The first line of the system was opened on 1 ...

project started construction; the subway was opened on 1 December 2011 after 23 years.

Post–independence

Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 16 December 1991 (

Kazakhstan Independence Day Independence Day of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Тәуелсіздік күні, russian: День независимости Казахстана) is the main national holiday in the Republic of Kazakhstan, ...

), and one year later, on 28 January 1993, the government renamed the city from the Russian ''Alma-Ata'' to the Kazakh name ''Almaty''. In 1997 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

approved the decree to transfer the capital from Almaty to Astana in the north of the country. On 1 July 1998 a law was passed to establish the special status of Almaty as a scientific, cultural, historical, financial, and industrial centre. Trolleybus in Almaty

The new general plan of Almaty for 2030 was released in 1998. It is intended to create ecologically safe, secure, and socially comfortable living conditions in the city. The main objective is to promote Almaty's image as a garden-city. It proposes continued multi-storied and single-housing development, reorganization of industrial districts or territories, improving transport infrastructure, and expanding the

. The first line of the Almaty metro was launched on 1 December 2011, two weeks ahead of schedule. The extension of the line to Qalqaman was opened in 2015. Nevertheless, Almaty has developed a major problem with

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

. Already in 1995,

particulate emissions Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...

, then mostly from the city's

thermal power station A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...

, exceeded Kazakh and EU standards by over 20 times. In 2008, Almaty was ranked the 9th most polluted city in the world. A 2013 study identified cars as a major source of pollution, and it was noted since 2003 and 2013

morbidity A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

had increased by a factor of 1.5, and that the city takes the first place in the republic on respiratory, endocrine and blood diseases, cancer and

bronchial asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coug ...

, even though there are no major industrial installations. An independent local air quality monitoring system with a mobile app was launched in 2017. Alfarabi3

The area of the city has been expanded during recent years with the annexation of the suburban settlements of Kalkaman, Kok Tube, Gorniy Gigant District (Mountain Giant). Numerous apartment blocks and office

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

s have transformed the face of the town, which has been built into the mountains. Squatter settlements such as Shanyrak have resisted eviction in the face of these development plans. Almaty was the site of a notorious terrorist attack in July 2016, when

Jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

Ruslan Kulikbayev killed eight police officers and two civilians in a shootout and car chase. Kulikbayev was wounded during the shootout and later sentenced to death for the attack. In January 2022, Almaty was plunged into unrest as part of a national political crisis.

Administrative divisions

There are 8 official Almaty city districts :     Alatau district
    Almaly district
    Auezov district
    Bostandyk district
    Jetysu district
    Medeu district

Nauryzbay district Nauryzbay district is a district of Almaty, Kazakhstan. History Since when the lands of the Karasay District Karasay District ( kz, Қарасай ауданы, ; russian: Карасайский район, former Kaskelen District) is a distri ...

Turksib district The Turksib District () is an administrative subdivision of the city of Almaty. The district is an industrial area, with an air and railway gateway to the city. History On 8 April 1938, a decision was made at a meeting of the Bureau of the Cen ...

Geography

Almaty is located in south-eastern Kazakhstan, almost 1000 km from the capital Astana. Kyrgyzstan's capital

Bishkek Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...

is 190 km to the west, while

Ürümqi Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...

in China is almost 1000 km east. The region is also home to the Mynjylky mountain plateau, an elevated plain located at the source of the Malaya Almaatinka river at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level.

Climate

Almaty has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''Dfa'') with hot summers and cold winters. It is characterized by the influence of mountain–valley circulation. This is especially evident in the northern part of the city, located directly in the transition zone of the mountain slopes to the plains. Annual average air temperature is equal to , the coldest month is January, (on average), the warmest month (July) (on average). In average years frost starts on about 14 October and ends on about 18 April, with sustained extreme cold from about 19 December to about 23 February, a period of about 67 days. Weather with temperature above is average for about 36 days a year. In the center of Almaty, like any large city, there is a "heat island" – the average daily temperature contrast between the northern and southern suburbs of the city is 3.8% in the coldest days and 2.2% in the hottest five days. Therefore, frost in the city center starts about 7 days later and finishes 3 days earlier than in the northern suburbs. Annual precipitation is about . April and May are the wettest months, during which about a third of the city's annual precipitation is received. It is not uncommon to see snow or a cold snap hitting Almaty as late as the end of May. For example, in the last quarter century, such snowfalls were recorded on 13 May 1985, 1 May 1989, 5 May 1993 and 18 May 1998. The record latest snowfall in Almaty was on 17 June 1987. Almaty sometimes experiences winter rain, despite heavy preceding snowfall and low temperatures. The most memorable winter rain took place on 16 December 1996 during a military parade to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic. Almaty Weather Station's GM mostly records south-easterly wind (30%), its resistance increases during the summer (37%) and falls in winter (19%). Wind speeds exceed 15 m/s on about 15 days a year, on average.

Seismic activity in the territory of Kazakhstan

Industrially developed and densely populated areas in the south and southeast of Kazakhstan are situated in the zones where the maximum magnitudes of expected earthquakes are from 6.0 to 8.3 (the intensity of I0=8–10). The south seismic active zone of Kazakhstan is a part of the North Tian-Shan ridge system. The main city of Almaty is located near the Zailiski Alatau mountain base. In recorded history prior to the late 19th century, three catastrophic earthquakes are known to have taken place there. The following are the dates of occurrence and extracts from the historical chronicles of the times: *1770, "...Belovodka village was buried"; *1807, "a horrible catastrophe took place in Almaty"; *1865, Strong earthquake Within the past 125 years, three more strong destructive earthquakes occurred here, with centres not more than from the current city location. Their magnitudes were 9 and 11 on the MSK scale – 64, and their centres were located within . Centres were located in a south and south–east directions: *(1887 y., K=17.14) Vernenskoe *(1889 y., K=19.12) Chilik *(1911 y., K=18.76) Keminskoe K – indicates the energy of the earthquake. In each of these earthquakes, the city suffered wide destruction. The Territory of the Kyrgyz State adjoins North Tian-Shan.

Demographics

Almaty is the most cosmopolitan city of Kazakhstan. As of 2018, ethnic

made up 61.45% of the city population, representing an increase from 22% during the country's independence. Ethnic groups (2019): * Kazakh: 60.42% *

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: 25.24% * Uyghur: 5.45% *

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 1.84% *

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

: 1.33% * Others: 5.72% the national statistics committee reported Almaty's population as 1,797,431. This was a 37% increase upon the 1999 census figure of 1,129,400, and 44% higher than the 1989 USSR census figure of 1,071,900.

Metropolitan area

The metropolitan area centred upon Almaty includes the cities and towns of

Esik Esik ( kz, Есік (''Esık''), also spelled ''Issyk'', ''Yesik'' and ''Yesyk'') is a town in Almaty Region of Kazakhstan, the administrative center of Enbekshikazakh District. It is located on the Issyk River, at the foot of the Tian Shan, 53&nb ...

Kaskelen Kaskelen (, ''Qaskeleñ'') is a town and seat of Karasay District in Almaty Region of south-eastern Kazakhstan.National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the ...

Talgar Talgar ( kk, Талғар, translit=Talğar, ; russian: Талгар) is a town in Almaty Region, southeastern Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Talgar District. The town is located between Almaty and Esik, 25 km from Almaty and ...

, and

Kapchagay Konaev ( kk, Қонаев; russian: Конаев), previously known as Kapchagay ( kk, Қапчағай, links=no; russian: Капшагай, links=no or ), is a city with the Almaty Region of Kazakhstan. It is located on the Ili River, and has ...

, and much of Enbekshikazakh, Jambyl,

Ile Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Anothe ...

, and

districts, all of which lie within 1.5 hours travel of Almaty city.

Culture

Almaty is largely considered to be the heart and soul of Kazakhstan's classical and popular cultures. The Almaty Region and the city itself have a distinct vibe and pace compared to other regions and cities in Kazakhstan. Contemporary Almaty has a more European vibe due to more cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating and public green space. Kazakh culture and zeitgeist identify as the genetic origin, or fatherland, of the wild apple '' Malus siversii''. Almaty is the historical and contemporary capital of intellectualism in Kazakhstan as a result of Almaty's location along the Ancient Silk Road and that many Russian intellectuals were exiled to the region and to Karlag. The Abai Kazakh State Opera and Ballet Theatre has anchored the city's theater scene since 1934 and was founded around a community of local performance artists. The Kasteyev State Museum of Arts was founded in 1935, is the largest museum in Kazakhstan, and has the largest collection of artworks by Kazakh classic and contemporary artists.

Theaters

Theatrical art began to develop in the city of Verny a few years after the construction of the Russian fort. On 21 November 1872, the Society of Dramatic Art Lovers staged the first production in the city:

A. N. Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original ...

's play, "

Stay in Your Own Sled ''Stay in Your Own Sled'' (russian: Не в свои сани не садись, an idiom meaning "Don't bite off more than you can chew,") is a play by Alexander Ostrovsky, written in 1852 and first published in the No.5 (March, book 1), 1853, iss ...

". Later, plays were performed at public, military, and commercial gatherings. An abridgement of Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar" was the first opera staged in the city, by the Kolpakovsky three-year city school on 23 February 1913 at the Commercial Assembly, to commemorate the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty. The flowering of theatrical art in the city began during the Soviet period of Alma-Ata, resulting from the transfer of the capital of the

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...

from

Kyzylorda Kyzylorda ( kk, Қызылорда, translit=Qyzylorda, ), formerly known as Kzyl-Orda (russian: Кзыл-Орда), Ak-Mechet (Ак-Мечеть), Perovsk (Перовск), and Fort-Perovsky (Форт-Перовский), is a city in south-cen ...

to Alma-Ata. Thus, the Kazakh Drama Theater, the first Kazakh professional theater, moved to the city. In the 1930s, the Opera and Ballet Theater (1934) and the Puppet Theater (1935) were established in the city. Also, theater companies founded in different cities of the republic began to move to the capital: the Russian Drama Theater (moved from

Semipalatinsk Semey ( kk, Семей, Semei, سەمەي; cyrl, Семей ), until 2007 known as Semipalatinsk (russian: Семипала́тинск) and in 1917–1920 as Alash-kala ( kk, Алаш-қала, ''Alaş-qala''), is a city in eastern Kazakhst ...

in 1934), the Uyghur Musical Comedy Theater (from Chilik, 1962), the Korean Musical Comedy Theater (from Kyzylorda, 1968), and the German Drama Theater (from Temirtau, 1989). After Kazakhstan regained independence in 1991, a large number of new independent theaters appeared in the city. Often these are modern youth concert venues created by enthusiasts. They face funding problems, as maintaining a permanent theater company is costly.

Museums

A significant contribution to the study of the history of culture, ethnography of southern Kazakhs in the late 19th–20th centuries was made by Turkestan scientists and local historians, united around the scientific societies and cultural and educational institutions of

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

. In 1874, from the private collections of travelers who visited Semirechye with a scientific and regional purpose and with the help of the local intelligentsia, a museum was first created in the city of Verny, which was later transformed into a village museum of the Semirechye Cossack Host. This date is the day of the foundation of the first museum in Semirechye. The foundation of the A. Kasteev Museum of Arts was laid by the Kazakh State Art Gallery named after T.G. Shevchenko, founded in 1935. Its main tasks were to collect the best works of Kazakh artists and organize their creative business trips. In 1936, museums in

and

(now St. Petersburg) donated a significant number of paintings, graphics, sculpture and applied art to the gallery. By the end of the 1950s, the gallery's funds numbered over 5,000 exhibits, including paintings, reproductions of works by pre-revolutionary and Soviet artists, Western European and Eastern masters of art. In the 1970s and 1980s, new buildings were built for existing museums, and new thematic museums were opened: books, musical instruments, archeology, and others. A significant contribution to the development of the museum business was the opening of the Museum of the History of Almaty, which created an association of museums in the city of Almaty and the state institution "Gylym Ordasy", which united 4 museums, which allows to systematize scientific work.

Cinemas

The first film screening in the city of Verny took place in 1900, when the physicist K.O. Krause arrived in the city. On it, hand-painted glass transparencies were demonstrated with the help of an overhead projector. The film show took place on 25 January in the Pushkin Garden. In January 1911, the building of the first private cinema "Twentieth Century" was opened at the intersection of Pushkin and Gogol streets, which belonged to the entrepreneur A. R. Seifullin. For the demonstration of films, the cinema was equipped with the first power plant in the history of the city, produced by the British company "Petter", with 14 horsepower. The cinema building burned down in February 1918. Starting in the 1930s, summer cinemas began to appear in the parks of the city, which were later transformed into full-fledged cinemas. Thus, the Rodina Cinema was first opened in the

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

in 1937. In 1957, it was rebuilt from a seasonal venue into a wide-screen cinema with an auditorium for 712 seats. In another park of the city, the Park of the Federation of Soviet Republics, the Progress Cinema was opened, later renamed Alma-Ata. By the early 1990s, there were 21 cinemas in the city. All cinemas were divided into first, second and third screens. The cinemas of the first screen, in which the premieres of new films took place, were "Alatau", "Tselinny" and "Arman". Film films arrived at the cinemas of the third screen in a deplorable state, with glues and cuts. That is, the quality of showing the film depended on the screening of the cinema. Cinemas in the city were single-screen, two halls were owned by the cinema centers "Kazakhstan", "Arman" and "Tselinny". In the 2000s, cinemas began to open in shopping and entertainment centers, and as a result, existing stationary cinemas began to lose popularity and close.

Economy

Almaty generates approximately 20% of Kazakhstan's GDP (or $36 billion in 2010). The city accounts for above 20% of government revenues and 60% of bank credits. The nation is the most powerful economically in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

and Almaty is a key financial center. It is considered to be a Beta- Global City as of the 2012

GaWC The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leicestershire ...

study. One of the largest industries in Almaty is finance, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to Kazakhstan's balance of payments. Almaty is home to

Halyk Bank Halyk Bank ( kk, Қазақстан Халық Жинақ Банкі, ''Qazaqstan Halyq Jınaq Banki'') is a commercial savings bank in Kazakhstan that also has branches in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its full Kazakh ...

, which is the largest bank in Central Asia,

Kaspi Bank Kaspi ( ka, კასპი) is a town in central Georgia on the Mtkvari River. It is a center of Kaspi district, one of the four districts in Shida Kartli region. Founded in the early Middle Ages, the town turned into possession of the Amilakhva ...

, and other major banks. The

Kazakhstan Stock Exchange The Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE; kk, Қазақстан қор биржасы, ''Qazaqstan qor bırjasy'') is a stock exchange located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The exchange was founded in 1993. History On November 15, 1993, Kazakhstan introd ...

is based in Almaty. Almaty is also developing as a regional financial and business centre (RFCA). Under construction is the 'Almaty Financial District and Esentai Park'. This was designed by

T.J. Gottesdiener T. J. Gottesdiener is an architect and managing partner of the New York City, New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). A graduate of Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Gottesdiener joined SOM in 1980 and was mad ...

, who designed both

7 World Trade Center 7 World Trade Center (7 WTC, WTC-7, or Tower 7) refers to two buildings that have existed at the same location within the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The original structure, part of the original World Trade Cent ...

in New York City and

Tokyo Midtown is a 569,000-square-meter (6.1 million sq ft) mixed-use development in Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan. Completed in March 2007, the $3 billion (¥370 billion) project includes office, residential, commercial, hotel, and leisure space, and the new quarte ...

. Its goal is to become the largest business centre in Central Asia. Esentai Tower, a 37-floor building in the park, is the tallest mixed-use building in Kazakhstan, housing offices of companies such as

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...

and

Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world and is one of the nine global " ...

. The first Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kazakhstan opened in 2013 in Esentai Tower. Along with professional services, media companies are concentrated in Almaty. The media distribution industry has been growing rapidly since 2006. Major broadcasting channels KTK and NTK are based in Almaty, as are several national newspapers. There are plans to construct a Western Europe-Western China highway, passing through Almaty. A new airport in Almaty expects to handle about 45 million tonnes of cargo each year.

Air Astana Air Astana ( kk, Эйр Астана, translit=Eir Astana; russian: Эйр Астана́, translit=) is an airline group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It operates scheduled international and domestic services on 64 routes from its main hub, Alma ...

is headquartered in the Air Astana Centre 1 in Almaty. Prior to their dissolution,

Air Kazakhstan Air Kazakhstan, stylised as ''Air Kazakstan'' ( kk, Эйр Қазақстан / ), was an airline of Kazakhstan which later became its national carrier after bankrupt Kazakhstan Airlines was shut down. It was headquartered in Almaty. History ...

and

Kazakhstan Airlines Kazakhstan Airlines was an airline from Kazakhstan, serving as national flag carrier of the country from its independence in 1991 until 1996. Following the disaster of the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, Kazakhstan Airlines ceased operations, ...

were also headquartered in Almaty. The economy of Almaty and Almaty Region continues to grow, and is expected to increase by nearly 6.5 percent per year until 2020. To mitigate the rapidly increasing electricity demand caused by this growth, the Kazakh authorities decided to upgrade the power system by building the new transmission line and modernizing the substations. The Alma Transmission Project, supported by the World Bank, has helped achieve this goal.

Cityscape

In 1854, the Tsarist government built a military fortification on the left bank of the Almaty River. The construction was supervised by Major Peremyshelsky and engineer-lieutenant Aleksandrovsky. By the autumn of the same year, construction work was completed. With their arrival, the area of Almaty began to develop rapidly, and a few prominent buildings were constructed during this time including the Little Stanitsa and the Tatar Slobodka. A major earthquake in 1887 destroyed 1798 brick houses and killed 322 people. After the earthquake, numerous notable buildings were constructed including the House of the Regiment of Military Assembly (1908), Ascension Cathedral, the House of Public Assembly, and others. Paul Gourdet, who is credited for most of Almaty's urban architecture of the time, used an approach to design

Russian Revival architecture The Russian Revival style (historiographical names are: ''Russian style'', russian: русский стиль, ''Pseudo-Russian style'', russian: псевдорусский стиль, ''Neo-Russian style'', russian: нео-русский стил ...

, which is evident in some of his designs including the Medical College, the Voznesensky Cathedral, the merchant Shakhvorostov's house, the former Women's College, the former City Orphanage, and numerous other buildings. Andrei Zenkov is another prominent architect and major contributor to some of Almaty's most notable buildings. At the time, Zenkov was in charge of the construction projects of the Semirechye regional government. From 1966 to 1972, most of the buildings constructed during the era were earthquake-proof multi-story housing blocks. During this period, many schools, hospitals, cultural, and entertainment facilities were constructed in

post-modernist Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

style, including Lenin's Palace (now Palace of the Republic, 1970),

Hotel Kazakhstan ,russian: Гостиница Казахстан , native_name_lang = , logo = , logo_size = , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = Hotell Kasakstan i Almaty.jpg , image_size ...

(1977) and the

Medeu The Medeu ( kk, Медеу, ''Medeu''), is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley (Medeu tract, Medeu Valley, or the valley of Malaya Almatinka River) on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. M ...

(1971).

Attractions

Churches

St. Sophia Cathedral (Almaty) The St. Sophia Cathedral, dedicated to the martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov (known as the Saints Faith, Hope and Charity) and their mother Sophia of Rome, is the cathedral of the Astany and Almaty diocese, located in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. ...

*The Ascension Cathedral is a 56 m high earthquake-resistant structure, built by the architect K. A. Borisoglebsky and engineer A. P. Zenkov in 1907 from blue Tien Shan

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

. It withstood an earthquake with a force of 10 points in 1911. The walls of the cathedral were painted by the local artist N. Khludov. During the Soviet period, the building housed a local history museum. In May 1995, the building was transferred to the Almaty and Semipalatinsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. After two years of restoration work, services were resumed in the church in 1997.

Fountains

According to the city's Department of Natural Resources and Resource Use Management, the city had 125 fountains. Among them is the "Oriental Calendar" Fountain, whose 12 sculptural figures represent the 12 animals of the Kazakh 12-year animal cycle (similar to its Chinese counterpart). There are now more than 120 fountains in Almaty, 61 of which are communally owned. Fountains, together with an extensive irrigation ditch network, play a big role in Alma-Ata – together they create a single complex of reservoirs and watercourses of the city. Every year at the end of spring, the city celebrates the "Day of Fountains" holiday where for the first time after winter, all the city's fountains are turned on. In 2006, a new fountain was opened on Lake Sayran. Previously, the highest fountain in the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...

(CIS) gushed from this lake– a stream of water 10 cm in diameter reached a height of 50 meters. The fountain has been closed since 2008. File:Fontan in the park kz.jpg, Fountain in First President's Park File:The Zodiac Fountain in Almaty Kazakhstan.jpg, Zodiac Fountain File:Kabanbai Batyr Street 85, Almaty, Kazakhstan - panoramio (1).jpg, Nedelka Prospect File:Fountains in Republic Square Almaty -2.jpg, Fountains in Republic Square File:Almaty Fountain 2007.JPG, Fountain in Abai Square File:ALA Vostok calendar.JPG, East Fountain

Recreation

Medeu

The

is an outdoor

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors racing, race each other in travelling a certain distance on Ice skate, skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marath ...

and

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

rink. It is located in a mountain valley (Medeu Valley, or the valley of Malaya Alma-Atinka River) on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty,

. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it one of the highest skating rinks in the world. It has 10,500 square meters of ice and utilizes a sophisticated freezing and watering system to ensure the quality of the ice. Medeu was built in 1972 in the gorge of the same name, 15 km from the city. "Medeo" was called "the factory of records", since 126 world records were set on the ice of a high-mountain skating rink in 33 years. A unique feature of the ice rink, located at an altitude of 1700 m, in thin air and high quality ice, provided by pure mountain water without admixture of salts. In addition, Above the sports complex there is a mudflow protection dam and the

Shymbulak Shymbulak ( kk, Şymbūlaq, cyrl, ''Шымбұлақ''), also known as Chimbulak (russian: Чимбулак, ky, Чымбулак) is a ski resort near Almaty. It is the largest ski resort in Central Asia. It is located in the upper part of the ...

. In the 1990s, the Medeu was the venue for the Voice of Asia international music festival (Asia Dauysy).

Şymbūlaq

Şymbūlaq is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

near Almaty, located in the upper part of the Medeu Valley in the

Zailiisky Alatau Ile Alatau ( kk, Ile Alatauy, ''Іле Алатауы''), also spelt as Trans-Ili Alatau, is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system (ancient Mount Imeon) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan st ...

mountain range, at the elevation of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea level. The resort area is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Almaty city by the

road. It is popular for its mild climate, a large quantity of sunny days and a great amount of snow through the winter (from November until May). The resort offers both day and night skiing.

Big Almaty Lake

Big Almaty Lake Big Almaty Lake ( kk, Үлкен Алматы көлі / ''Ülken Almaty kölı'', rus, Большое Алматинское Озеро / ''Bol'shoye Almatinskoye Ozero'') is natural alpine reservoir. It is located in the Trans-Ili Alatau mounta ...

is a natural lake located in

mountains on 2511 above the sea level near Almaty (15 km South from Almaty). Like a majority of lakes in Trans-Ili Alatau, this lake formed as the result of an earthquake. The lake is a major source of drinking water for the region. People can access the lake by car (approximately 1 hour drive from the city center), bike, or hiking (approximately a half-day trip).

First President's Park

Entrance to The Park of the First President of Kazakhstan panoramic view - panoramio

The

First President's Park First President's Park ( kk, Qazaqstan Respublikasynyŋ Tūŋğyş Prezidentı saiabağy) is an urban park located in Almaty at the intersection of Navoi Street and Al-Farabi Avenue in the Bostandyq District in the south of the city. The park was ...

is an urban park located in Almaty at the intersection of Navoi Street and Al-Farabi Avenue in the

Bostandyq District The Bostandyq District () is an administrative subdivision of the city of Almaty. The district has the youngest demographics with more than 71,000 students residing in it. History The Bostandyq District was first established on 31 January 1966 ...

. The park was opened in July 2010. Creation of the park began in 2001. The park is broken into three main areas–the avenue, boulevard, and dendrological areas. Greenery was planted according to dendrological plan. In honor of the participation of the city of Almaty in the Olympic torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games, approximately one hundred spruces and birches were planted. In 2011, a hundred Tien-Shan spruces were also planted. Plans include a set of water projects over an area of 9.5 hectares.

Kök Töbe

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

line connects Almaty with a popular recreation area at the top of Kök Töbe ( kk, Көк-төбе, which means 'Blue Hill'), a mountain just to the southeast. It has a variety of tourist attractions, such as a zoo, amusement-park-style rides and restaurants. The city television tower,

Almaty Tower The Almaty Television Tower (russian: Алматинская телебашня), or simply Almaty Tower, formally the Koktobe TV Tower (russian: Телебашня «Коктобе») is a steel television tower built between 1975 and 1983 in A ...

, is located on the hill. It was built in between 1978 and 1983, and is 371.5 m tall. The TV tower, located at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level, is the tallest structure in Almaty. Its height is almost 372 m, and it sits at an elevation of 1130 m. The base of the tower is a reinforced concrete foundation in the form of a three-storey sectional basement. The barrel of the tower is a metal stepped hexahedron with a diameter of 18 m at the base, 13 and 9 m at the locations of maintenance services at heights of 146 and 252 m. The structure was built taking into account the seismic mountainous terrain and can withstand an earthquake of up to 10 points. The television tower is a complex of an operating radio and television transmitting station with a special mode of operation, therefore it is inaccessible for sightseeing tours of the city from a height. The tower, illuminated at night by powerful searchlights, is visible from almost anywhere in the city.

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen

The

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen The Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen () is an urban park located in east-central Almaty in the area surrounding the Ascension Cathedral. It is dedicated to and named after the Panfilov heroes which were the 28 soldiers of an Alma-Ata Infantry unit ...

is a major park in Almaty,

. The park is located in east-central Almaty in the area surrounding Zenkov Cathedral. It is dedicated to and named after the Panfilov Heroes, 28 soldiers of an Almaty infantry unit who died fighting Nazi German invaders outside of Moscow in World War II. The group takes its name from Ivan Panfilov, the General commanding the 316th division which, in spite of heavy casualties, believed at that time managed to significantly delay the Germans' advance on the capital, buying time for the defenders of the city. An eternal flame commemorating the fallen of the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

and the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

burns in front of the giant black monument of soldiers from all 15 Soviet republics. File:Panfilov park 03.jpg, Panfilov Park File:Вид на Алма-Ату от станции канатной дороги на Кок-Тобе.JPG, Kök Töbe cable car, 2007 File:Shymbulak Valley - CIMG8526.JPG, Shymbulak Valley File:Watchtower in middle of Big Almaty Lake (3991851837).jpg, Watchtower in middle of

Transportation

Air

The closest airport to Almaty is

Almaty International Airport Almaty International Airport ( kk, Halyqaralyq Almaty Äuejaiy) is a major international airport northeast of Almaty, the largest city and commercial capital of Kazakhstan. It is the busiest airport in Kazakhstan, accounting for 6.42 million ...

located northeast of the city centre.

Urban transport

Sayran Bus Terminal provides intercity bus connections within

, as well as international connections to

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and regional bus connections west of the city. Sayakhat bus terminal provides regional bus connections to places north and east of the city. Kazakhstan Temir Joly's has two stations Almaty-1 (located 20 minutes drive from Almaty, and reserved mostly for cargo) and Almaty-2 located within the city and reserved mostly for passengers. In 2011 the

opened, and a light rail line is planned. A

bicycle-sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bot ...

, Almaty-bike, has been in operation since September 2016. People can buy a monthly card and ride freely.

Education

Universities

Kazakh National Medical University, named after Asfendiyarov (former: Almaty Governmental Medical Institute (AGMI)) * Almaty Management University (ALMU) *

International Information Technology University International IT University or International university of information technologies ( kk, Халықаралық ақпараттық технологиялар университеті, ''Halyqaralyq aqparattyq tehnologııalar ýnıversıteti'' ...

(IITU) *

Kazakh-British Technical University Kazakh-British Technical University, or KBTU is a research and educational institution located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was founded in 2001. About KBTU KBTU’s research is focused in the main sectors of the Kazakhstani economy – oil and ga ...

(KBTU) * University of International Business *

Kazakh National Medical University Kazakh National Medical University is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was established in 1931, and the first rector was S.D. Asfendiyarov. In 2001, the government classified it as a "national" university. The university has a student popul ...

Almaty Institute of Power Engineering and Telecommunications Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications (AUPET) (Kazakh: Алматы Энергетика және байланыс университеті) is a technical engineering university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is located at 126 B ...

Kazakh National Technical University Satbayev University ( kz, Қазақ Ұлттық Техникалық Зерттеу Университет) is a technical university located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The university is the oldest technical university in Kazakhstan, comprising 10 i ...

(KazNTU) *

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Al-Farabi Kazakh National University ( kz, Әл-Фараби атындағы Қазақ ұлттық университеті, Äl-Farabi atyndağy Qazaq Ūlttyq Universitetı), also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. ...

(KazNU) *

Suleyman Demirel University Suleyman Demirel University ( kk, Сулейман Демирел атындағы Университет, translit=Súleıman Demırel atyndaǵy Ýnıversıtet, russian: Университет имени Сулеймана Демиреля, abb ...

(SDU) *

KIMEP University KIMEP University (formerly: Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research) is an institution of higher education in Almaty, Kazakhstan. KIMEP is a private, non-profit university offering credit-based, North American-style bac ...

(KIMEP) * Kazakh-American University (KAU) * Kazakh National Academy of Arts named by T.Zhurgenov * Kazakh Academy of Sciences * Kazakh Academy of Labour and Social Relations * Kazakh National Pedagogic University (named after Abay) *

Turan University Turan University ( kk, Тұран Университеті, ''Tūran Universitetı''; Russian: Университет Туран) is one of the first and largest non-state universities in Almaty, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Repub ...

Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages The Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages (KAUIR&WL, Kazakh Ablai Khan University), former Almaty Pedogogical Teacher's Institute of Foreign Languages, has provided foreign language education for 75 years. Hi ...

Central Asian University Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(ЦАУ) * Kazakh-German University (КНУ) *

Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering is a top institution among the higher education institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan in fields of Architecture, Design, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering Environmental ...

* Kazakh National Agrarian University (SHI, AEZVI) *Narxoz University * International Business Academy

Sport

The historic

team Dinamo won the Soviet Championships in 1977 and 1990 and the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

in 1978. Their home ground was

. Bandy was introduced for the first time at the 2011 Winter Asian Games. Medeu was the main arena at the

2012 Bandy World Championship The 2012 Bandy World Championship was an edition of the top annual event in international bandy, held between January 29 and February 5, 2012, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 14 countries participated in the 2012 championships: Finland, Kazakhstan, Norway ...

. The second arena built for the championships is an alternative field at

Almaty Central Stadium The Central Stadium ( kk, "Алматы орталық стадионы", ''Almaty ortalyq stadıony'' or "Орталық стадион", ''Ortalyq stadıon''; Ortalyq Stadıony) is a multi-purpose stadium in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the largest s ...

. The city is now a candidate to host also the 2020

Bandy World Championship The Bandy World Championship is a competition between bandy-playing nations' men's teams. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy. It is distinct from the Bandy World Cup, a club competition, and from the Wome ...

. The

Federation of International Bandy The Federation of International Bandy (FIB; french: Fédération internationale de bandy, russian: Международная федерация хоккея с мячом, sv, Internationella Bandyförbundet) is the international governing bo ...

has opened an office for Asia, which is located in Almaty. Almaty was the host of the

2017 Winter Universiade Winter Universiade 2017, the XXVIII Winter Universiade, was a multi-sport winter event which took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 29 January to 8 February 2017. On 29 November 2011, FISU announced that Winter Universiade 2017 would be hosted in ...

with bandy on the programme. The

2011 Asian Winter Games The 2011 Asian Winter Games ( kz, 2011 жылғы қысқы Азия ойындары, 2011 jılğı qısqı Azïya oyındarı) was a multi-sport event that was held in Nur-Sultan, Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan, that began on January 30, 2011, an ...

were held jointly in Almaty and Astana. The

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

and

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

competitions were held in the city at the

Baluan Sholak Sports Palace The Baluan Sholak Sports Palace ( kk, Балуан Шолақ атындағы спорт сарайы, translit=Balýan Sholaq atyndaǵy sport saraıy) or Bolyan Sholak Sports Palace is a Palace of Sports in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhst ...

and

Sunkar International Ski Jumping Complex The Sunkar International Ski Jumping Complex ( kk, «Сұңқар» халықаралық шаңғы трамплиндер кешені, ''Sunqar halyqaralyq shańǵy tramplınder kesheni''; russian: Международный Комплекс ...

respectively. The

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

, and

ski orienteering Ski orienteering (SkiO) is a cross-country skiing endurance winter racing sport and one of the four orienteering disciplines recognized by the IOF. A successful ski orienteer combines high physical endurance, strength and excellent technical skii ...

competitions were held at the nearby

Soldatskoe Valley Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Stadium Soldatskoe Valley Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Stadium, also known as "Alatau" Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Stadium ( kk, «Алатау» шаңғы және биатлон стадиондарының кешені, ''Alataý shańǵy ...

; the

Alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and

competitions were held in nearby

and

respectively. The

Yenbek Almaty Yenbek Almaty (russian: Хоккейный клуб Енбек Алматы, kk, Еңбек Алматы хоккей клубы, ''Eńbek Almaty hokkeı klýby'') was a Soviet and Kazakh ice hockey team in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They were active fr ...

ice hockey team played from 1965 to 1985 and from 1999 to 2009.

HC Almaty Hockey Club Almaty ( kk, Алматы хоккей клубы) is a professional ice hockey team based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They were founded in 2010, and play in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, the top level of ice hockey in Kazakhstan. The ...

currently plays in the

Kazakhstan Hockey Championship The Pro Hokei Ligasy formerly known as ''Republic of Kazakhstan Open Ice Hockey Championship'' ''( kk, Шайбалық хоккей бойынша Қазақстан Республикасының ашық чемпионаты, russian: Откры ...

. The city's primary football team is

FC Kairat Football Club Kairat ( kk, Qaırat Fýtbol Klýby) is a professional association football, football club based in Almaty, which plays in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Football in Kazakhstan, Kazakh football. Founded in 1954 ...

founded in 1954 and one of the most successful Kazakh clubs. Futsal club

AFC Kairat AFC Kairat ( kk, Қайрат Алматы футзал клубы, ''Qaırat Almaty fýtzal klýby'') is a professional futsal club based in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan. The club was founded in 1995. Since 2012 the club has been one ...

hs won the

UEFA Futsal Cup The UEFA Futsal Champions League is an annual futsal competition for European club teams organized by UEFA. It was founded as the UEFA Futsal Cup in 2001 and replaced the Futsal European Clubs Championship, an unofficial competition held since 1984 ...

in 2012–13 and 2014–15. Basketball team

BC Almaty Basketball Club "BC" Almaty (russian: Баскетбольный клуб "БК" Алматы) is a Kazakhstani professional basketball club based in the city of Almaty in southern Kazakhstan. Founded in 2006, it has played under the name Almaty ...

won the 2015 and 2016 editions of the

Kazakhstan Basketball Cup The Kazakhstan Basketball Cup () is the national men's professional basketball cup competition in the country of Kazakhstan. It is organised annually over a few days in a single location by the National Basketball Federation Kazakhstan. Its offic ...

Olympic aspirations

Following the successful hosting of the 2011 Winter Asian Games, Almaty made a bid to host the XXII

Olympic Winter Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...

in 2014, but was eliminated from consideration, not making the "short list" of candidate cities. Almaty was the

host. The city was exploring possible bids, such as the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

, but did not submit one. Almaty submitted a bid to host the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

in August 2013, but lost to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Despite these failures, Almaty may still consider to submit a bid to host the

2030 Winter Olympics The 2030 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXVI Olympic Winter Games, is an upcoming international multi-sport event. The host city was initially set to be elected at the 140th IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023, but IOC officials declared in ...

In popular culture

The fictional espionage novel ''Performance Anomalies'' takes place in Almaty,

and many of the city's landmarks make an appearance, including Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, The

Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments The Ykhlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments ( kk, Ықылас атындағы халық музыкалық аспаптар музейі, ''Yqylas atyndaghy halyq mýzykalyq aspaptar mýzeyi'') is a musical instrument museum located in Alma ...

, Kok-Tob ( Kök Töbe),

, Zelyon
Bazaar
and several well-known avenues.

Notable residents

Zhansaya Abdumalik Zhansaya Abdumalik ( kk, Jansaya Daniyarqyzy Äbdimalik; russian: Жансая́ Дания́ровна Абдумали́к; born 12 January 2000) is a Kazakhstani chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (GM). She is the first Kazakhst ...

(born 2000), chess Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and chess prodigy *

Altynai Asylmuratova Altynai Abduakhimkyzy Asylmuratova ( kk, Алтынай Абдуахимқызы Асылмұратова, ''Altynai Abduahimqyzy Asylmūratova''; born 1 January 1961) is a Kazakh-born former ballerina who is artistic director of the ballet co ...

(born 1961), prima ballerina with the Kirov ballet *

Eugen Bauder Eugen Bauder (born 5 March 1986) is a German model and actor. Early life Bauder was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 5 March 1986. He moved to Germany at the age of five with his mother. He has live in various locations around Germany. After high ...

(born 1986), model in Germany *

Anatoly Bose Anatoliy Kolesnikov (born 6 December 1988), formerly known as Anatoly Bose, is an Australian-Kazakhstani professional basketball player for the Norths Bears of the Waratah League. He played college basketball for Nicholls State University. E ...

(born 1988), Australian basketball player *

Alexander Brener Alexander Davidovich Brener (russian: Александр Бренер) (born 1957, in Alma-Ata, Kazak ASSR, Soviet Union), is a Russian performance artist and a self-described political activist. He is considered one of the main figures of Mos ...

(born 1957), film star in Russia * Sergei Chekmezov (born 1964), professional football coach and former player *

Zarina Diyas Zarina Diyas ( kk, Зари́на Ди́ас; born 18 October 1993) is a Kazakh professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 31 in the world by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Diyas has won one WTA singles title, at the ...

(born 1993), tennis player *

Alexandra Elbakyan Alexandra Asanovna Elbakyan (russian: Алекса́ндра Аса́новна Элбакя́н, born 6 November 1988) is a Kazakhstani computer programmer and creator of the website Sci-Hub, which provides free access to research papers witho ...

(born 1988), intellectual property activist, creator of Sci-Hub *

Nagima Eskalieva Nagima Eskalieva ( kk, Нағима Қабылқызы Есқалиева, ''Nağima Qabylqyzy Esqalieva'') (born February 3, 1954 in Fabrichnyy, Zhambyl District, Almaty Region) is a Kazakhstani singer and awarded national artist of the Kazakh S ...

(born 1954), singer and entertainer *

Dmitri Fofonov Dmitry Fofonov ( kk, Дмитрий Фофонов; born 15 August 1976 in Almaty) is a former Kazakh professional road bicycle racer who was fired from UCI ProTeam Crédit Agricole for doping. Fofonov tested positive for heptaminol after th ...

(born 1976), Racing cyclist * Alexey Korolev (born 1987), ski jumper *

Nikolay Karpenko Nikolay Karpenko (born August 10, 1981 in Almaty) is a Kazakhstani ski jumper who has been competing since 2005. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 12th in the team large hill at Turin in 2006 while earning his ...

(born 1981), ski jumper *

Ruslana Korshunova Ruslana Sergeyevna Korshunova (russian: Руслана Серге́евна Коршунова; 2 July 1987 – 28 June 2008) was a Russian-Kazakhstani model. She established herself as a rising figure in the fashion industry by posing for magazi ...

(1987–2008), model in Russia * Olessya Kulakova (born 1977), volleyball representative for Germany *

Regina Kulikova Regina Aleksandrovna Kulikova (Russian: Регина Александровна Куликова; born 30 January 1989) is a former professional Russian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 65, which she reached in May 2010. Her ...

(born 1989), tennis player *

Dinmukhamed Konayev Dinmukhamed Akhmetuly "Dimash" Kunaev (also spelled Kunayev; kk, Дінмұхаммед (Димаш) Ахметұлы Қонаев, Dınmūhammed (Dimaş) Ahmetūly Qonaev, russian: Динмухаме́д Ахме́дович (Минлиахме ...

(1912–1993), politician *

Fuat Mansurov Fuat Mansurov ( tt-Cyrl, Фоат Шакир улы Мансуров, russian: Мансуров, Фуат Шакирович) (January 10, 1928 – June 12, 2010) was a Soviet and Russian conductor. Biography Mansurov was born on 10 January 1928 ...

(1928–2008), Soviet and Russian conductor *

Dmitriy Ogai Dmitry Alekseyevich Ogay (russian: Дмитрий Алексеевич Огай; born 14 May 1960) is a Kazakhstani professional football manager of Korean descent. He is one of the most successful coaches in Kazakhstan. Ogay played seven season ...

(born 1960), soccer trainer and Soviet soccer player * Sergei Ostapenko (born 1986), soccer player *

Alexander Parygin Alexander Parygin (born 25 April 1973) is a Kazakhstani-Australian modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where he won the individual gold medal.Alexander Petrenko Alexander Anatolievich Petrenko (alternative spelling: Alexandre; 4 February 1976 – 21 July 2006) was a Russian professional basketball player. He was born in Almaty, Kazakh SSR, and held Russian citizenship. Professional career Petrenko playe ...

(1976–2006), basketball representative for Russia *

Boris Polak Boris Polak (בוריס פולק; born July 15, 1954) is an Israeli former world champion and Olympic sport shooter. Personal life Polak is Jewish and was born in Moldova, in 1954. He made ''aliyah'' (immigrated to Israel) with his family from Al ...

(born 1954), Israeli world champion and Olympic sport shooter *

Vadim Sayutin Vadim Aleksandrovich Sayutin (russian: Вадим Александрович Саютин) (born 31 December 1970) is a former speed skater who represented the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Kazakhstan, and Russia, in that o ...

(born 1970), ice speed skater in Russia *

Thomas Schertwitis Thomas Schertwitis (born 2 September 1972 in Alma-Ata, Kazak ASSR, Soviet Union) is a German water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of ...

(born 1972), water polo *

Olga Shishigina Olga Vasilyevna Shishigina (russian: link=no, Ольга Васильевна Шишигина; born 23 December 1968 in Almaty) is a retired Kazakhstani track and field athlete who mainly competed in the 100 metres hurdles. Honoured Master of S ...

(born 1968), Olympic Champion in hurdling *

Konstantin Sokolenko Konstantin Sokolenko (born 9 November 1987 in Soviet Union) is a Kazakhstani Nordic combined skier. Career Sokolenko is the most qualified Nordic combined skier in Kazakhstan. Sokolenko's best performance was when he received the 28th place in a ...

(born 1987), Nordic combined skier/ski jumper *

Igor Sysoev Igor Vladimirovich Sysoev () is a Russian software engineer. In October 2004 he released the Nginx Web server, reverse proxy, load balancer and HTTP cache software and founded Nginx, Inc. Sysoev was born in 1970 and grew up in Almaty, Kazak ...

(born 1970) open-source software engineer, founder of nginx, Inc. *

Elena Likhovtseva Elena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva (russian: Елена Александровна Лиховцева ; born 8 September 1975) is a Kazakhstani-born Russian former tennis player. She turned professional in January 1992, at the age of 16. Together ...

(born 1975), tennis player *

Denis Ten Denis Yurievich Ten ( kk, Денис Юрийұлы Тен; russian: Денис Юрьевич Тен; 13 June 1993 – 19 July 2018) was a Kazakhstani figure skater. He was the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist (silver i ...

(1993-2018), figure skater * Yernar Yerimbetov (1980), gymnast *

Anatoly Vaisser Anatoly Vaisser (born 5 March 1949) is a Soviet-born French chess player. Awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1985, he is four-time world seniors' champion. Biography and career Vaisser was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan (then Soviet Union). In ...

(born 1949), French chess grandmaster *

Radik Zhaparov Radik Zhaparov (born February 29, 1984) is a Kazakh ski jumper who has competed since 2003. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, he finished 11th in the team large hill and 26th in the individual normal hill events. At the FIS Nordic Worl ...

(born 1984), ski jumper *

Vladimir Zhirinovsky Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, ''né'' Eidelshtein (russian: link=false, Эйдельштейн) (25 April 1946 – 6 April 2022) was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) f ...

(1946–2022), politician *

Elena Zoubareva Elena Zoubareva is a Russian American soprano specializing in opera and classical crossover. Zoubareva is also a voice expert and a creator of the FitVoice program Born in Soviet Union and educated at Moscow State University and Berklee College o ...

(born 1972), opera singer

Twin towns – sister cities

Almaty is twinned with: *

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Egypt *

, Kyrgyzstan *

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

, South Korea *

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Turkey *

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, Saudi Arabia *

Malatya Malatya ( hy, Մալաթիա, translit=Malat'ya; Syro-Aramaic ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ku, Meletî; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a large city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city ha ...

, Turkey *

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, Italy *

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

, Somalia *

, Russia *

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

, France *

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, Latvia *

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

, Argentina *

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia *

, Uzbekistan *

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, Israel *

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States *

, China *

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania

Gallery

Modern_Almaty.jpg, A modern Almaty street Центральный_Государственный_музей_Республики_Казахстан.JPG, The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan E8562-Almaty-Lake-Sayran.jpg, Lake Sayran, on the western side of the city Raimbek-Emtsov.JPG, Aerial view of Raymbek avenue Алматинское метро 008.JPG, Raymbek batyr Station, Almaty Metro AscensionCathedralAlmaty002.jpg, The Ascension Cathedral in winter The Beatles on Green Hill in Almaty, Kazakhstan.jpg, Bronze statues of The Beatles by sculptor Eduard Kazaryan ALAFurmanova162.JPG, Old House, constructed in 1908, at Furmanov street Musirepov theater for youngs.jpg, The Musrepov Academic Youth Theater Medeobanen1.jpg, The Medeo ice skating stadium TWC, KazNU Campus.JPG, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Fontan in the park kz.jpg, Fountain in Almaty Железнодорожная станция Алматы-1 3049775.jpg, Almaty 1 train station ALAcityborder.JPG, City border ALALenin.JPG, Statue of

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

International organizations

The

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

announced in October 2019 that it would launch a new regional technical assistance centre (RTAC) in Almaty. The centre will provide capacity development services to nine IMF member countries in the CCAM region. The centre is expected to cover the fiscal policy, central bank operations, financial sector supervision, and macroeconomic statistics.

References

External links

City of Almaty
Official website
Almaty Tourism Website
*

New buildings and developers of Almaty
{{Authority control Cities in Central Asia Former national capitals Populated places along the Silk Road Populated places established in 1854 Cities and towns in Kazakhstan Regions of Kazakhstan Semirechye Oblast 1854 establishments in the Russian Empire

Status

Etymology

History

Prehistoric Almaty

15th–18th centuries

Foundation of Verny

Soviet era

World War II

Industrialization

Urban development

Post–independence

Administrative divisions

Geography

Climate

Seismic activity in the territory of Kazakhstan

Demographics

Metropolitan area

Culture

Theaters

Museums

Cinemas

Economy

Cityscape

Attractions

Churches

Fountains

Recreation

Medeu

Şymbūlaq

Big Almaty Lake

First President's Park

Kök Töbe

Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen

Transportation

Air

Urban transport

Education

Universities

Sport

Olympic aspirations

In popular culture

Notable residents

Twin towns – sister cities

Gallery

International organizations

See also

References

Further reading

External links