Basic facts and figures

Map of Astana center
Picture

Situated in the northern central part of Kazakhstan, in the valley of Esil River
Climate: sharply-continental, moderately hot summer and long hard winter
Geographical coordinates: latitude - 51 degrees 10 minutes North, longitude - 71 degrees 30 minutes East
Local time: GMT +06.00
The city area: 710. 2 sq. km
Population: 700 000 people
Mean age: 32 years
Unemployment rate: 6.8% (as of March, 2008)
Gross Regional Product (GRP) per capita: 13 420 USD (2006)
Average Monthly Nominal Salary: 700 USD (as of April, 2008)
Number of Small Enterprises: 17 606 (as of June, 2008)
Major religions: Islam, Christianity
Ethnic groups: more than 100
Sister Cities: Warsaw, Seoul, Moscow, Kiev, Riga, Tbilisi, Gdansk, others
Telephone Code: +7 7172
ZIP Code: 010000
Official website: www.astana.kz

Milestones for the capital of Kazakhstan

On 6 July 1994, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted the regulation “On moving the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan”.

On 9 October 1996, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev issued the decree on the establishment of the Akmola Special Economic Zone, within the administrative boundaries of the town of Akmola.

On 5 April 1997, in accordance with a presidential decree, the strategic objectives for Akmola were included into the list of national economic priorities to attract direct investments.

On 20 October 1997, President Nursultan Nazarbayev issued the decree declaring Akmola the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On 10 December 1997, Akmola was declared the national capital.

On 6 May 1998, President Nursultan Nazarbayev issued the decree changing the name of the capital from Akmola to Astana.

On 9-10 June 1998, an international presentation was held on the new capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan—Astana.

In 1999, UNESCO awarded Astana with a medal and the title—City of Peace.
Since the year 2000, Astana has been a member of the International Assembly of Capitals and Metropolises, an authoritative organization dedicated to building social and business partnerships. Its members include Moscow, Minsk, Bishkek and other large cities of EurAsEC.

Emblem & flag of Astana

In the centre of the composition is a depiction of the Baiterek Tower, a monumental structure representing the “tree of life” with a large “egg” nestling in its branches.

The monument is situated in the centre of Astana and it has come to represent the thrusting ambitions of the capital and the country itself.

Inside the rendering of the egg, is the “shanirak”—a cruciform motif that represents the top of a yurt (the traditional tent-like dwelling of nomadic Kazakhs). The fusion of these two motifs symbolizes the future and the past—­and indicates the future direction of modern Kazakhstan, a 21st century power built on a rich and ancient heritage and culture.

At the base of the Baiterek motif, there is a decoration symbolizing “birds wings” which refers to the mythical sacred bird Samruk, which is associated with freedom and happiness (in Kazakh mythology, the Samruk lays its golden egg in the Baiterek or poplar tree and when the Samruk flies away, a snake eats the egg… The bird returns a year later, lays another, and the snake eats it and so on... ). Like the legend of the phoenix, the tale of the Samruk is a regeneration myth that suits Kazakhstan well.

Surrounding the Baiterek/shanirak and Samruk, the “blue sky” background reflects the peace loving nature of Kazakhstan and the red ring that encircles all the elements refers to the “ring of fire”—­in which the ancient Turkic people saw birth, growth and development (the Turkics are a collection of Eurasian peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family).

The flag of Astana has golden rays emanating from an unseen centre point in the blue sky background behind the centre area of the flag which is identical to the coat of arms (as above described).

From the ancient history of Astana: Bozok town

Central part of Kazakhstan have always been a territory of inter-ethnic communication of various nations and cultures. In the middle of the first millenium BC it is through these steppes that the so called route through the Great Steppe ran, the very one mentioned by the great ancient Greek historian Herodotus. Subsequently it turned into the well known Great Silk Road.

Numerous caravan routes gave birth to cities with prosperous trade and handicrafts while the population—apart from traditional cattle breeding—was engaged in farming. Obviously these were perspective seats of civilization, substantial commercial and economic centers in the Great Steppe. Bozok is a predecessor of Astana. It is an ancient settlement discovered in 1999 by an archeological expedition headed by Kemal Akishev is now considered to be fore image of the modern capital of Kazakhstan.

As the scientists ascertained, Bozok gained the peak of its prosperity in the 10-13th centuries A.D.

Bozok, which is believed to have been almost completely constructed of baked brick, was a permanent headquarters of the Kypchak khans. Nowadays it is known that the ancient settlement consisted of three parts, the central one containing cult Muslim constructions (mosques mausoleums), and two side parts (dwelling houses, buildings of craftsmen, etc.).

Each part of the ancient city was surrounded by ditches and earthen walls. In the environments of Bozok archaeologists found remains of ancient reclamation dams. The city was a big cultural and trade center of the Great Steppe, and its existence refutes common opinion that the Kypchaks were exclusively nomads and occupied themselves only with cattle-breeding.

Akmola city

On July 16, 1863 Akmola was officially announced as a district city. On October 21, 1868 in keeping with the “Provisional Regulation on Administration in Steppe Regions of Orenburg and in the West-Siberian General-Governorship” they set up an Akmolinsk region with its centre in the city of Omsk. In those days Omsk was the centre of the West-Siberian General Governorship. It may well be conjectured that the name of the Akmola region owns its name to the fact that they might have entertained an idea of transferring its centre to Akmola.

This assumption maybe substantiated by the circumstance that in 1879 Major—General Dubelt submitted to the Ministry of Communications of Russia a project of constructing a railway to connect Tyumen with Akmolinsk. In the course of the first 30 years of its existence the population of Akmola numbered a trifle more than 2,000 people.

However, over the next 30 years, i.e. from the 1860s to the 1890s the city's population became thrice as large as was mentioned in the collection “Volosts and settlements of the Akmolinsk region” issued in 1893 in St.Petersburg. Akmolinsk was an uyezd (district) city with a 6,428—strong population which could boast of 3 churches, 5 schools and colleges and 3 factories. Such was the first stage in the brightest days of the development The second stage whose impact was paramount for the destiny of the city was the development of virgin lands.

In December 1960 the city numbering a mere 100,000 people turned into the centre of the Tselinny territory which embraced all northern regions of Kazakhstan. Shortly after, in 1961 Akmolinsk changed its name for Tselinograd. With time, in 1971, the Tselinny territory was abolished with the city of Tselinograd turning into the centre of the region. In 1992 the city was returned its former name—Akmola. There exist several versions of the origin of the city's name—Akmola. As the first one has it, the area of Akmola was given its name after that of a white-coloured lime-stone hill.

As Prokopius, a Byzantine writer maintains Huns called “mola” a high barrow, a fortress. According to yet another version, to the locality of Akmola that turned into a centre of holding trade fairs they would bring and trade plenty of cattle which was known for abundance and amazing variety of milk products (koumyss, shubat, etc.). Hence the name of the locality (literally “ak mol”—white abundance). Akmola as a “white sacred place”: this is actually the translation version which has become the ultimate choice of the members of the Republican onomastic committee upon meticulous study of all available historical sources.

Akmola region is by right one of the Republic's granaries, a big centre of agricultural machine-building. In fact it produces one fifth of all the grain, one tenth of cattle-breeding products with one fourth of grain being sold to the state. Just as well-developed is meat-and-milk cattle-breeding, pig-breeding, sheep-breeding, horse-breeding and poultry farming. The region's entrails harbour deposits of gold, uranium, bauxites, antimony, copper, lignites, caoline ores, quartz sands and other commercial minerals. Traditionally, development of industries in the region was associated with agriculture, with processing of is primarily grain, meat, flour and milk products. agricultural raws. The region is fairly active in conducting foreign economic activities, it maintains mutually-advantageous relations with the states of both the near and the far abroad. Exported to CIS countries.

From Almaty to Astana

Astana (former Akmola) was announced as the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan on December 10, 1997 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan of October 20, 1997 on approval by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As to the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Akmola it is prompted by economic, ecological and geographic expediency. First, Almaty is but too far from the actual geographic centre of the Republic. Besides the population of the city is nearing the 1,500,000 mark with no further prospects of spacial accomodation. In fact the city is fairly overbuilt, densely populated and can afford no spare areas for its development. No less acute are transport problems. Year in year out ecological condition of the “southern capital” deteriorates dramatically: virtually, in terms of aggravated environmental pollution it may well be rated as one of the topmost among Kazakhstani cities. Upon a thorough study of the entire territory of Kazakhstan subject to 32 parameters including social-and-economic indices, climate, landscape, seismic condition, natural environment, engineering and transport infrastructure, construction facilities, labour resources and others the city of Akmola was chosen as the most optimum alternative of all.

Overall condition of the city, its territory, its being virtually the geographic centre of Kazakhstan, its proximity to major economic regions on the crossroads of important arterial lines, an opportunity of bringing the number of the population up to 700,000 people, pretty stable heat-, water- and power supplies, well-developed transport infrastructure, balanced natural environment—all these factors came to be decisive in making the choice.

Within the context of contemplated realization of plans and development of the economic potential of the region, starting early 1997 there functions in Akmola a mechanism and an extraordinary legal regime of the Akmola special economic zone, established by virtue of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan of October 9,1996. Three basic factors determine its expediency:

First, it establishes a free customs zone which enables all natural and legal entities engaged in business activities within the confines of the city's territory enjoy the right to duty-free and non-taxable import of goods.

Second, goods manufactured on the territory of the aforementioned special economic zone, are subject to exemption from customs duties when exported.

Third, there has been introduced a concessional taxation regime which, first and foremost, applies to enterprises involved in construction and maintenance of real estates. These moves are aimed at enhancing Kazakhstani foreign investors, their participation in the economic development of the capital.

City for the new Millenium

Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is already nearly 10 years old and a wide range of ambitious building projects are in full swing... 1,700 cranes are currently in operation on 650 separate sites in a city which less than a decade ago, had a population of only 280,000, and today boasts—600,000.

Building work in Astana is on an unprecedented scale; to date, investment totals an incredible KZT 1 trillion 500 billion—dwarfing current projects in Dubai, and the construction of Brasilia and Canberra. All the new projects bear the mark of the country's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In 1994, the president decided the capital of Kazakhstan would be moved here from Almaty. In 1997,the city's name—briefly Akmola and before that Tselinograd - was changed to Astana —literally “capital”.

Moving the capital to Astana allowed President Nazarbayev to build and with the extraordinary level of foreign investment that the country has attracted since the discovery of its untapped oil reserves—to build on an epic scale...

On the right bank of the city is the building site of Khan Shatyr—a spectacular and unique, fully-functioning indoor city for 10,000 inhabitants designed by Norman Foster (celebrated for Beijing's new airport and the transformation of the Reichstag).

This immense structure—an area larger than ten football stadiums—will regulate temperature and accommodate schools, hospitals, shops, sports and concert halls. Cars will be prohibited from entering, but canals and water transport will be used. The upper floor of Khan Shatyry will have a jungle, beach and a “sea”.

Foremost among the completed large-scale buildings is the or “Tree of Life”. It stands midway down the length of a 1.5km-long boulevard lined with flowerbeds, sculptures and fountains. Huge offices line either side of this thoroughfare: a national archive resembling a giant egg, a pair of 30-storey cones in gold mirror glass and a trio of towers... The Baiterek Tower was completed in 2002. It is 97m high (a figure that reflects the year in which Astana became the capital) and comprises an “egg” of gold mirror glass held aloft on a “tree” of white steel. The Kazakhs have dubbed it “The Big Chupa Chups” for its resemblance to the lollipop. A lift ascends into the egg to an observation deck with a platform that supports a triangular gold ingot in which President Nazarbayev's handprint has been cast. The tower has come to symbolise the ambitions of the country much like the Eiffel Tower in France.

In 1998, President Nazarbayev envisaged a permanent structure to house the Congress of World Religions (which takes place triennially in Astana). There was a site: directly opposite the presidential palace. There was a time frame: it had to be ready by 2006.The President had been thinking about the form that this “Palace of Peace & Accord” should take. He decided a pyramid would be suitable and contacted Norman Foster to design it. The pyramid, 62m wide and long, incorporates a sub-terranean 1,500-seat auditorium which today functions as an all-purpose performing arts venue. Blue and yellow light permeates the cathedral-like interior of the pyramid itself. On exiting a lift at level six, ramps ascend through a hanging garden and wind towards a circular platform with a wide oculus at its centre. Here, Brian Clarke's stained glass windows can be admired (a flock of doves are pictured ascending towards the sun that is the central emblem of Kazakhstan's flag). The building required a workforce of nearly 2,000—supplemented by the Kazakh army in the final stretch.

This year alone, a new bridge across the Ishim River; an outpatient medical facility, four monuments, a residential home for veterans and senior citizens were unveiled in Astana. A number of overpasses have also been completed and exit roads running towards the cities of Kokshetau, Kostanai and Pavlodar have been overhauled. 24 parking lots are being constructed to house 7,500 cars each (55 underground garages and multi-level parking lots accommodating up to 20,000 cars each will be operational by 2009). An additional two bridges are under construction, as well as 22 schools, a medical cluster, a 3,500-seat concert hall by the Italian architect Manfredi Nicoletti and a 3km-long Green Water Boulevard... Groundbreaking ceremonies have been held to celebrate the start of construction of the Nokian tyres plant, Nissan and General Electric assembly facilities. New 5-star hotels, mosques and synagogue all function well—and a light rail metro line will open in 2010 (with a link to the airport).

Landscaping work is also underway to make Astana greener. 400 hectares will be transformed into parks and squares and 40 thousand hectares of forest have already been planted around the city's outskierts.

In cooperation with entrepreneurs' public associations a fair of social projects has been organised in the capital for the presentation of programmes in the fields of healthcare, ecology, sports and culture, as well as the medical and social rehabilitation of disabled persons. This concept has resulted in 45 projects for a cost of more than one billion tenge, including the establishment of a baby food plant, the opening of a kidney dialysis centre and the improvement of the material base of rehabilitation centres.

The mayor of Astana has offered a grant for the best innovation project. The winners will not only be awarded money for the initial project development, but will also receive support in the form of further financing and execution at the Astana industrial park. Apropos, the industrial park is planned to contain approximately 200 construction and processing projects. These are plans for the future, but currently, the construction of a Nissan car factory with an annual capacity of 30,000 cars, and a Nokian tyre plant are planned for development in Astana as part of the “30 Corporate Leaders” Programme.

Astana is developing rapidly and improving its image, not only due to the country's high performance economy and its banking and energy sectors. The human factor is also of great importance. The personal involvement of the President of Kazakhstan, his responsibility and political will are making a great contribution to the outstanding development of
Astana. President Nursultan Nazarbayev holds annual meetings on the development of the capital at the Astana Master Plan Science and Research Institution (As tanagenplan).

“The construction of our capital is making powerful and promising progress, which is inspiring the admiration offoreign visitors and the people of Kazakhstan. A metropolitan spirit is being formed, and the mentality of the Astana residents is changing. Our goal is not only to build a beautiful city, but also to form a unique spirit for the capital. We have already done a great portion of this work, but we have to do more,” the President has repeatedly noted. Nursultan Nazarbayev identified therequirements for the construction of Astana, including the ban on singular construction projects and the requirement for these to be replaced by a transition to complex construction, attracting investors for the construction of utilities infrastructure and social projects, compliance with all town planning standards and the preservation of the capital's general architectural concept.

“The general city planning scheme is like a structure for the city. It should be amended only with care and a clear head. It is unacceptable for every person involved to make their own changes. The only criteria for making decisions should be conclusions made by skilled specialists and experts,” Nursultan Nazarbayev instructed.

Astana is to become one of the top 30 cities in the world. To achieve this purpose, not only the highest architectural design standards, but also infrastructure and living standards should be met. The population of Astana has increased two-fold since the capital moved there, and amounts to approximately 700,000 people today. The population will increase to one million people by 2011.

Now Astana is experiencing a building boom, with approximately 15,000,000 sq. m to be constructed in the next few years. Unique buildings are planned to be built, such as the magnificent Khan Shatyry (Royal Marquee) designed by the world famous architect Norman Foster, or the unique Batygai covered city, where 10,000 people will live and work. As part of the constitutional reforms to be implemented in Kazakhstan, the law “On the status of the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan” gave Astana special status and importance as the administrative centre of Kazakhstan.

Turkish, Italian, French, Swiss and other experts are taking part in the construction of the new capital. The possibility for constructing in Astana a national cultural or trade zone by the construction companies of one or another country is now discussed during the official visits of foreign delegations. The municipal administration is allocating land and guaranteeing preferential status for such projects. This proves that Astana is open for architecture, culture, traditions and new trends.

The central section of the old town has been paved with new stone blocks. A great amount of urban landscaping work is being carried out to create a green belt surrounding the city to protect people from strong winds.

The city administration has paid special attention to creating up-to-date infrastructure. The basements and ground floors of houses have shops, cafes and service departments.

Astana is located at a road andrailway junction. The international airport makes it possible to link Astana with major cities around the world. The administrative buildings on the left bank of the Yesil River are remarkable in terms of their comfort, architectural simplicity and harmony. Priorities for the city are the development of infrastructure, the construction of international hotels and trade centres, and the development of the existing construction base.