Almaty

Almaty was formerly known as Alma-Ata. It is the largest city in Kazakhstan which served as the capital until 1997 when the government moved the capital to Astana. It is an attractive city with a backdrop of a snowcapped mountain, Zailiysky Alatau. On Kazakhstan travel, one can see new expensive suburban apartments, glitzy shopping malls, Western-style coffee lounges and expensive restaurants which contrast with the city’s outer districts. However, the city is sophisticated with green parks and some excellent museums, shops and markets. In the 10th to 14th Centuries, Almaty was part of the trade route of the Silk Road which reached from China to Europe.

In the very centre are Panfilov Park, large and attractive greenery and one of Almaty's most popular strolling and hangout places for all ages. It is here you can see the candy-coloured Zenkov Cathedral, Kazakhstan's answer to St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and one of Almaty’s few surviving Czarist-era buildings. The cathedral is built entirely of wood. 

The Central State Museum in Almaty’s best museum with a collection that covers Kazakhstan’s history from the Bronze Age to the present. A large replica of the Golden Man stands in the entrance hall. The original is a monument which celebrates the independence of Kazakhstan and which stands in Republic Square. The Kazakhstan Museum of Arts has the best art collection in the country, with Kazakh, Russian and some Western European art plus a room of excellent modern Kazakh handicrafts. The Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments includes a fine collection of traditional Kazakh instruments – wooden harps and horns, bagpipes, the lute-like two-stringed dombra and the viola-like kobyz.