Astana has a few things to offer to its visitors. I would not necessarily call it a tourist destination, planes that fly here are often full of suits not holidaymakers, but I suppose it does have its advantages for that reason alone. For example, being able to see pretty much anything I list in this article all alone is a big plus that you cannot easily experience in any place popular with tourists. Let us now go over the finest landmarks of this city on the Western bank of the Ishim River, though make sure to check out what to do on the other side of the river next week!
A good portion of south-eastern part of Astana is dedicated to a not so green botanical garden. I say not so green because the whole project is very new and therefore the trees are more like shrubs. It is easy to see how in a few decades this whole area will be one of the finest to walk around throughout the region. Everything is very well organized, and the park as is already offers some fantastic views of Astana’s skyline from its many bridges.
A bit beyond the botanical garden, one can find this monument dedicated to the hospitality of the Kazakh nation. This whole street leading to the Eternal Nation Arch of Triumph is full to the brim with similar artistic installations. It is also one of the more modern parts of the city, having been built relatively recently, even for Astana’s standards that is.
One of the more outstanding landmarks of the city is its Arch of Triumph, which looks suspiciously alike to the ones in select European cities. This is a theme that you will see regularly in this trip of ours walking around Astana. Given the fact that it is an extremely new city, and one that was intentionally planned out to be the “modern” capital of a relatively new country, it imitates architectural styles from all around the world, often from the West.
Of course, the architect, or should I say the mastermind of the project behind Astana is none other than Nursultan Nazarbayev. His statues are generously placed around town, but there are motions to reduce their numbers and rename some buildings and streets to something other than Nazarbayev in the near future. Given the fact that even my university is named after him, I cannot wait to see what sort of naming scheme the new Kazakh government will go for once the dust is settled.
In my mind, there are two things that truly separate the western and eastern banks of Ishim River. The western bank is certainly newer and full of more monumental buildings, but it also seems to be home to more recreational areas, especially parks. I for one prefer older and more settled cities, but parks are a necessity to say the least, which, once again in my eyes, makes both sides equally charming for different reasons. The Korean Park is just one example that makes me love the western bank. Though it is pretty small, it is very well kept and offers a unique place to wind down.
If you want to enjoy walking around in a much bigger park, then you are better off visiting the unimaginatively named Central Park. It is as big as it gets here and is choke full of entertainment and food vendors to keep everyone satisfied. I enjoyed some ice cream, walked around, found a few interesting attractions like this one, and so on. Certainly, this is a decent place to enjoy your Sundays. It is home to some music festivals every now and then as well, which is always good to keep in mind.
If you would rather walk amidst concrete and not trees for some reason, you may prefer to take your Sunday walk on the Nurzhol Boulevard instead. This is where most of the city’s finest restaurants are located, and it also offers some of the best views of Baiterek Tower, which became the symbol of Astana over years. I would not really recommend going up there though, because once you go up, all you will see will be the hand mark of Nazarbayev and a view of the city from very thick glasses that make it impossible to enjoy it in any way.
I mentioned how there is significant Western influence on architecture found in Astana, but that does not mean that there is nothing Eastern about it as well. A Chinese restaurant that revolves around its own axis is found atop Beijing Palace, which is a hotel with characteristically Chinese architecture, though perhaps a bit too pronounced. You can also find buildings titled Moscow and St. Petersburg that look similar to their siblings found in these respective Russian cities.
Perhaps the most characteristically Kazakh structure in town is Khan Shatyr, an excellent venue for shopping and relaxation, complete with a “beach club” that uses sand from the Maldives on its top floor, which is an overkill in my book. The temperature inside is always a bit too warm for my taste, but apparently that is done to ensure that the “beachgoers” have a good time all year around. In any case, with its resemblance to a massive nomadic tent, though it is not something I often do around here, I would recommend all to go see this shopping mall.
If you would rather see a much smaller tent, than you are better of visiting the nearby Nur Astana Mosque, which often has a tent dedicated to small tasks on its courtyard. It is one of the less architecturally pleasing mosques in town but if you are in the area, you might as well take a look.
If you want to see the “real deal” of mosques, then you are in for a ride. The Grand Mosque of Astana, as its name suggests, it as big as it gets in Astana. Unfortunately, it is pretty far away from anywhere, being found somewhere in between Nazarbayev University and the city’s airport. There are buses that go there from the city center though, so you do not have any real reasons to skip it.
And I would say that you should not skip it even if you may have an allergy for going out of your way, because the interior of this mosque is nothing like I have seen before. Sure, it is too modern so you will not run into any ancient cryptic text here and there, but it is so clean and well kept, and so properly designed that I am sure many would enjoy spending a few minutes there. I have even seen entire families just sort of sitting down and chatting on the floor, which is not something I am accustomed to but is understandable given the “vibes” of this mosque.
If you already went out of your way to visit the Grand Mosque of Astana, why not stop by the National Space Center as well? You do not have to go inside, I for one am not even sure if there is anything open to public inside, but just outside this center you can find these excellent models of old Soviet spacecraft.
Replicas of Zenith, Soyuz, and Proton rockets were much welcome but seeing a Buran this up close, even if it is fake, was appreciated the most by me! To see the USSR flag that is etched on to it barely visible was food for much thought as well. If you enjoyed the tour so far, make sure to come back next week to check out what happens on the other side of the river.