Go World Travel is reader-supported and may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this piece.
In the north of the massive country of Kazakhstan, I landed in Astana. It was an unlikely tourist destination, but the capital intrigued me. From the airport 13 km away, I waited less than 10 minutes before bus #10 came by.
QR codes were posted on every other window. I watched as all the locals instinctively pulled out their phones to scan the code to pay the bus fare. Luckily, a young woman saw me glancing around, clutching a handful of tenge coins, trying to figure out how to pay without the Kaspi mobile money app they were all using.
She tapped me on the shoulder and gestured towards the QR code, then my coins in my hand. Grateful for her offer, I gave her the tenge and took a photo of the e-receipt on her phone just in time. A ticket-checker with a formal vest came around moments later to scan everyone’s phones for confirmation of payment.
First Impressions in “Little Dubai”
Walking from the bus stop in the center of town to my accommodation, it was evident why so many people referred to the city as “Little Dubai”. The golden tops of the Nur Sultan Mosque and the tent design of the Khan Shatyr shopping complex are eye-catching from any angle in the downtown area.
The Astana Opera House’s tall columns stand out among the surrounding low trees and park bushes. The enormous Ata Bas water fountain shot water high into the sky on the same primary strip as the emblematic Baiterek tower, a large tree-like monument with an observation tower and bright lights at night.
Best Tips & Tools to Plan Your Trip
I ducked into wind tunnels between massive business buildings to get off the main strip and wound my way through a few smaller residential streets. I noted how much quieter the noise level became almost immediately.
Most impressively, every residence, restaurant and office, had beautiful new street address signs. These were not only trilingual but complete with a QR code. I later learned it had information on the building contractor, plumbing and electrician contacts. It also included methods for payment of bills and mail notifications.
A Warm Welcome
At the home of my local hosts, Aylin and Nargiza, I was welcomed with overwhelming Kazakh hospitality. The two older women bustled busily around the small outdoor kitchen, passing baursak (a Kazakh fried dough snack) through the open window into the indoor kitchen. In addition, they cut up cheese to go with the plum jam, salad, and butter, all of it homemade.
I heartily enjoyed the big breakfast as they regaled me with dreams of going to France one day to see the Atlantic Ocean. Aylin’s niece had visited the previous year and blew their minds with a story about crossing into Spain in less than one hour. “Can you imagine? It would take days to just get across Kazakhstan, not hours….!”
Preparation for the World Nomad Games
After freshening up, we set off down the street towards the white and blue Hazrat Sultan Mosque. When I started to head towards the entrance, the women waved their hands dismissively. “No, no, later we go to the Grand Mosque. Not this one, come on.”
We crossed the parking lot and all in one panoramic view were the tall golden-topped Monument Kazakh Eli commemorating Kazakh independence, the grid-like Palace of Independence and the new-age curved artistic Wall of Peace.
Down to one end was a pyramid structure that served as a spiritual and event venue center, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation.
Read More: Why Airalo is My Go-To eSim When Traveling Abroad
Photo by Annie Elle
What I was most surprised by wasn’t the shiny glass and delicate molding in the architecture, but the dust clouds kicked up by dozens of construction vehicles. There were blocks of stone and concrete everywhere. Hundreds of workers were renovating all the buildings and tearing up the street tiles.
The women explained that the construction wasn’t just on that block but all around the city in preparation for the 5th World Nomad Games in September. Started in 2014 in Kyrgyzstan, the international sports competition features traditional folk games of the nomadic people, such as archery on horseback and wrestling.
The National Museum
Luckily, the National Museum just across the street was open, and 1,700 tenge ($4 USD) later, we were cooling off in the spacious multi-floor halls.
Like everything else I’d seen so far, the tall white walls and high ceilings led to a grandiose sense of awe. The symbols of Kazakhstan, a golden eagle and sun, dangled over the entrance, greeting each visitor.
We passed slowly from the Hall of Intangible Cultural Heritage – with over 40 types of stringed instruments (kobyz) – to the Natural History exhibition. Myself and the family with small children next to me were surprised by the gigantic T-rex and wooly mammoth skeletons inside the door.
Photo by Annie Elle
Two Names for One City
The women led me to bus #43. Less than an hour later, we emerged at the blue-topped Central Mosque, sometimes called the Nur-Sultan Grand Mosque, in a corner of the city. As we headed up the long, wide flight of stairs, I inquired about the use of “Astana” versus “Nur Sultan.” Why were there two names for the city? They exchanged an inscrutable Look and Nargiza took a deep breath before launching into the backstory.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country was run by Nursultan Nazarbayev from 1991 to 2019. When he abruptly announced he was stepping down, his successor and mentee Kassym-Jomart Tokayev renamed the capital in honor of Nazarbayev. However, many people refused to use the new name and resented the still-lingering power of Nazarbayev.
In January 2022, a bloody clash erupted, sparked by a gas price increase. It resulted in the death of 230 Kazakhs. Consequently, alongside other concessions, the name was changed back to Astana and Nazarbayev faded into the background.
The Largest Mosque in Central Asia
Just inside the massive entryway of the Central Mosque, two stacks of blue robes were piled high for men and women alike to cover up. With our matching hoods and flowy ankle-length garments, the crowd moved as one fluid group toward the main chamber à la The Handmaid’s Tale.
Several sterile hallways looped around with verses of the Quran inscriptions in Arabic cursive and hexagonal decoration on the columns and walls. Finally, we emerged into the main hall. It was designed to fit 235,000 people, and it has an enormous chandelier under the primary dome that is colored two shades of blue.
A row of male worshippers were in the midst of their evening prayers with the local imam. We sat quietly on the carpet behind them to watch with a mixed group of local women, children and tourists.
Afterward, Aylin led me down another path to the tourist minaret, one of the four which they opened up to visitors for a small fee. We waited in a short line, and after paying with the ubiquitous Kaspi app we passed through small, automated doors.
There we borrowed some free blue slides, as we were all barefoot, and took the elevator up. The view from the top deck was spectacular, especially with the lights from the nearby Mega Silk Way Mall.
Everyone automatically spoke in an unnecessarily hushed voice as they shuffled carefully around the ringed walkway. The iconic spherical Nur Alem Future Energy Museum broadcast a rotation of images, including an evil eye, “I <3 Astana”, and, naturally, an ad for Lexus.
Solo Trip
We reunited with Nargiza at the entrance and I slept deeply that night when we got home. I set out on my own in the morning towards the Asia Park shopping mall in the center. My destination was a bus station which I was told would bring me to Akmol, a small village 37 km away. After a short wait, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the longer distance buses had air conditioning. I hopped off 50 minutes later.
The town itself wasn’t the reason I was visiting. I was going for the Alzhir Museum and Memorial Complex for victims of political repression and totalitarianism. With clear signs from the main road, I followed a short walkway and found the former location of the Akmola prison camp for “Wives of Traitors of the Motherland”.
The Darker Side of Soviet History
The tall Arc of Sorrow, with a stylistic grid over its curved silver structure, asked visitors to bow their heads in honor of the fallen. Plaques in a semicircle near the entrance signified the dedications from various countries on behalf of their perished citizens. These included Georgia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Belarus and all the Jews.
I passed a grandmother with her young grandson on the way in and stopped briefly to look inside the Stalin carriage. It was a mock-up of the wagons that would bring the female prisoners to the camp in the 1930s and 1940s.
Another life-size outdoor display depicting the cramped, freezing sleeping spaces also showed guards seizing children after they turned 3 years old to place in orphanages. Inside the circular structure, after paying 1,200 tenge ($2.50 USD), I circled the bottom floor. Photographs and old documents were in glass cases covering a brief history of the nation.
The second floor was more specifically about the history of the prison site. It had similar pictures but with belongings of the former prisoners, too. A map of the Gulag system during Soviet times showed the expansive network. In addition, a giant memorial block in the back of the structure hauntingly listed each victim’s name.
A Return Trip to Remember
After half an hour, I re-emerged into the scorching sun and headed to the bus station. The grandmother and her grandson were still waiting there. Hopefully, this meant the bus would soon arrive, so I joined them on the bench. For the next 20 minutes, I watched as the grandmother tried uselessly to beat the bugs back from biting her grandson as he impatiently kicked the dirt. All of us were waiting to get out of the dry heat.
Forty minutes later, I was seriously contemplating sticking my thumb out and taking my chances with one of the occasional cars flying down the highway. The grandmother seemed to have made up her mind about something and turned down the road, chattering determinedly with her grandson. I glanced at her as she walked by, wondering if this abandonment was my sign to hitchhike. But she gestured for me to follow them.
Unsure of what she knew that I didn’t, I swatted the insects off my legs and followed them towards a nearby gas station. “I hope they’re not just going to get water or use the bathroom”, I thought to myself.
Follow the Leader
After watching her chat with an attendant, she turned down another path from the roundabout and marched on. Semi-reluctantly, I found myself trailing them again.
Finally, about a kilometer later, I spotted where she was heading. Another bus station was up ahead, with seven other people waiting, huddled under the tiny sliver of shade from the blistering sun. I reasoned that the buses in town don’t go back and forth on the same roads but make a big circle instead.
Sure enough, within 10 minutes, a bus lumbered into view and everyone hastily mobilized towards where the doors would open. I climbed the stairs, taking a deep, refreshing breath of cool air inside. I spotted the grandmother with her grandson in the second row and caught her eye. She made a celebratory fist and cracked a wide grin. I couldn’t help but do the same back, feeling bonded and triumphant in our shared victory over the bus system.
If You Go:
Download the Kaspi app for free. Without a Kazakh bank account, you can give cash to a local who can send it to your Kaspi account for use throughout the city.
Register with Yandex Go, the ride-hailing service most popular in the country. This can also be connected to your Kaspi account.
Read More:
Author Bio: Annie Elle is originally from Los Angeles, though currently lives in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. She has lived overseas since 2011, working in various aspects of international education. Annie enjoys playing volleyball and exploring new foods and art forms in her free time.
- Discover Claremont, California Along Historic Route 66 - December 6, 2024
- Three Sites to Soothe the Soul in Kyoto, Japan - December 5, 2024
- 13 Essential Tips For Women Traveling in Morocco - December 4, 2024