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ASTANA VISTA, BABY

17/6/2015

11 Comments

 
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The Khan Shatyr in Astana

T plus 38 - Astana

This place is unreal.  Built from scratch less than 20 years ago as Kazakhstan's capital, the city is still a work in progress, but from what I could see, the future is going to be very bright, in every sense of the word.

Astana is 1,200 km north of Almaty, the nation's previous capital, and its business and cultural epicentre.  So why then, was this remote site chosen to serve as Kazakhstan's government and corporate headquarters?  I asked several people and got different answers, but the two which made sense to me are: (1) to unify the country by bridging its long-standing North-South divide and (2) to be physically closer to Russia, who remains the Big Brother in this region.

Ok, no biggie, many countries have their administrative capitals in obscure locations - Australia, Canada, South Africa, just to name a few.  But what makes Astana different is the extraordinary amount of effort put in to ensure its success.  Walking around the city (there are Segways for hire if you wish), one gets the sense that this is a gigantic statement, written in steel, glass and concrete, by Nazarbayev, the nation's founding president, to announce the arrival of Kazakhstan to the world.

One cannot help but marvel at the unbridled extravagance of it all.  From the admittedly beautiful series of structures conceived by Norman Foster to the ludicrous amount of gardening required to carpet-over an otherwise barren landscape.  This place screams "look at me".  And it really is difficult not to.  Yes, there is a monumental amount of narcissism at play here.  But hey, weren't Versailles, and even the Pyramids of Giza mega statements of self glorification too?

In my opinion, Astana is a sparkling symbol of what Kazakhstan can become.  In terms of scale and sheer audacity, it stands unrivaled amidst a sea of post-Soviet nations still trying to get the world to spell their names correctly.  It has, and will continue to shift global perception to the nation's benefit.  It was silly films like Borat which got people talking about Kazakhstan.  But it is places like Astana which will turn that talk into something tangible.

In that sense, Borat was right - "Grrrreat success!" 

Some photos of Astana's glittering sights at night:

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From Top:  The Bayterek with the mythical egg containing the secrets of human desires and happiness (out of reach); Ak Orda (white castle) - where the President goes to work; street view of the ministerial buildings; Concert Hall, Supreme Court; residential building; Ministry of Defense; Opera House; Business District; Khasret Sultan Mosque; Rear-view of Presidential Square; Palace of Peace; History Museum; Front-view of Presidential Square; Khan Shatyr illuminated in various colours; Eastern Astana skyline.
11 Comments
Mau
18/6/2015 12:04:56 am

My goodness. Ostentatious but impressive! Any sign of Borat's sister or her friends?

Btw I have recruited Ivan for Iran. After all, why have one travel companion when you can have two!

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Neoh
18/6/2015 05:28:12 am

Hi mau!! Ok ok no problemo. The more the merrier!

I shall be in Iran in about 18-20 days, depending on how long Uzbekistan will take. And also if I can get my transit visa for Turkmenistan.

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Mau
18/6/2015 03:54:46 pm

Alamak! So soon ah?! I tot Aug! I'm off to San Diego and San Francisco 2mrw for a week. Bit of a complicated story.

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Neoh
19/6/2015 03:27:42 pm

Hmmm... well, I have to make my way from North to South-ish, so that will take a few more days. Then again, that depends if they let me into Turkmenistan. It's a bit hard to pin it down at the moment.

SC
19/6/2015 12:48:34 am

Stunning! Never expect too see such a modern and beautiful city in Kazakhstan. It reminds me of Abu Dhabi.

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Neoh
19/6/2015 03:28:50 pm

Yes! In fact this place is nick-named the Abu Dhabi of the Steppes. I think they modeled this after Putrajaya, but frankly they may have done a better job.

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SC
20/6/2015 11:57:06 am

Ha, glad that i am not the only one who related it to Abu Dhabi. 端午节快乐 :)

HH
19/6/2015 01:34:31 am

I remember this place!

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Neoh
19/6/2015 03:34:09 pm

Haha HH. Well, I think you had the 5 star treatment back then...

But the view is clouded from the back of a limo lah. Maybe you should come back to compare and contrast. I have a good hostel to recommend to you. You'll like the shared bathrooms.

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rohani link
21/7/2015 03:52:12 pm

walk down memory lane for HH....

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Neoh
27/7/2015 11:02:14 pm

Hahaha. I think he only remembers the beautiful ladies. Not so much the beautiful buildings. There is limited capacity in our memory when we get older you know.

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