KAZAKHSTAN The beauties of Almaty, “capital of magnificence”

In publications specializing in international tourist destinations, the former capital of Kazakhstan is garnering new praise. The metropolis at the foot of the southern mountains has become the city of businessmen and artists, without the bureaucratic burdens of the palaces of power.

Almaty () – One of the world’s leading travel and tourism publications, Travel, has published a report on the most populous city in Kazakhstan, southern Almaty, with the subtitle: “How a gloomy Soviet megalopolis became the capital of Central Asia’s magnificence. American journalists were stunned by the growth of the country’s former capital, whose population exceeds 2.2 million and continues to grow, compared to the current capital, Astana, in the central-north, where 1.3 million live. of people.

According to one of the report’s authors, Joe Yogerst, Almaty is “the best example of a city that has found itself again” in recent years, and he does not spare his praise, even going so far as to praise “one of the best metro networks.” world” and “world-class museums.” The metropolis is at the same time a large financial center, a concentration of luxury boutiques and very modern shopping centers, restaurants of national cuisine and traditional popular bazaars.

Dennis Kean, an American heritage specialist, believes that “this city is exceptionally welcoming in terms of living conditions”, without the need to own and use a car, since there is a “fantastic public transport system”, and it is largely “the center of contemporary art – and local cuisine – in all of Central Asia.”

Almatynis are more critical than American visitors, often calling for more improvements in transportation and the cleanliness of public places. For the most part, however, journalists must be agreed with, who point out that Almaty has benefited enormously from the capital’s move to Astana, receiving more freedom to develop as a city of businessmen and artists, without the burdens bureaucracies of the palaces of power. In the metropolis located at the foot of the southern mountains “there reigns a truly unique spirit of creativity”, with great opportunities for high-level intellectual discussions and debates.

Kazakh cuisine is one of the elements that has impressed observers the most, due to how local chefs manage to combine the most advanced food preparation techniques with the most traditional ingredients and recipes, which date back to the nomadic ancestors of the steppes. The culinary masterpieces are undoubtedly the Bešbarmak of the Tatar-Turan horsemen, which means “five fingers” (beš = five, barmak = fingers), since it is usually eaten with the hands, a bed of dough cut into unequal pieces, covered with smoked horse, lamb or beef, or even fish; and then Čalop, the cold meat and vegetable soup that can be kept for a long time in the refrigerator or in the window wells when it is cold, washed down with Kumis, the drink obtained from the fermentation of mare’s milk, with a content of sugar and alcohol higher than Kefir.

In addition to the “delicious and filling” dishes of the nomads, the journalists were able to admire many places of interest in the city itself, such as the Zelenyj Bazaar (the “green market”), the Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, seat of the metropolis of Kazakhstan, the Kasteev Museum and the Historical Museum. What impressed them most was the “secret exhibition” of the French House, an underground exhibition without a specific title that extends under a large shopping center, owned by a mysterious oligarch and collector very fond of his hometown, which can be visited free of charge in advance. registration. Tickets are obtained without going to any office, but by asking around who to call or where to send an email. The exhibition guides, also strictly anonymous, illustrate the masterpieces of Kazakh folk art and craftsmanship.