Located on the dry steppes north of central Kazakhstan,
Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) is an emerging Eurasian economic
centre, blending cultural traditions of the East and West. A pet
project of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the city is designed to
represent the bright future of 21st-century Kazakhstan, and was
renamed after him in March 2019.
Nur-Sultan is a political, business, and cultural hub of
Kazakhstan; its population has more than doubled in the last two
decades as young professionals flock to the city. Its position
between China, Russia, Europe and the Middle East gives it a
strategic advantage, as does its proximity to oil and gas
reserves.
Nur-Sultan has a memorable skyline peppered with oddly-shaped
futuristic buildings that have sprung up since it was named the
capital of Kazakhstan in 1997. The city's distinctive architecture
is part of an ongoing project to remove old Soviet-era buildings,
and includes the tree-like Bayterek Tower, the wave-like Kazakhstan
Central Concert Hall, and the pyramid-shaped Palace of Peace and
Reconciliation. Another unforgettable structure is the Khan Shatyr
Entertainment Center, a 492 foot (150m) tent housing a shopping and
entertainment centre the size of ten football stadiums. The city is
neatly bisected by the Ishim River, with the older boroughs to the
north and the flashy new developments to the south.
Aside from its visually arresting architecture, Nur-Sultan
offers a number of interesting attractions for sightseers,
including a number of cultural museums, churches and mosques, and
an oceanarium. The city is a green oasis on the steppes, with some
pretty parks and gardens as well as the Korgalzhyn State Nature
Reserve. Modern sports facilities and some excellent theatres
provide great opportunities to enjoy Kazakh culture.
