Almaty, Kazakhstan

I visited Almaty for the first time in 1994. We didn't spend much time there. Instead we traveled to Shymkent and Zhambyl, where the sheep were. I visited Almaty again in 2003 and 2004. We stayed in the city the whole time, but made some day trips to the countryside. I guess I've spent more time in Almaty than any other city in the world.

View of Almaty from the TV tower

Surrounding mountains

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan. During Soviet times, it was called Alma Ata. Its name translates as "City of Apples." Almaty is located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan. Up until 1997, it served as capital of Kazakhstan. It's still the country's most important city. 

Stores:  old and new

Ascension (Zenkov) Cathedral is one of the main sites of Almaty. It was built in 1907 out of wood, without any nails. As such, it is one of the tallest wooden structures in the world. In 1927, the Soviets ordered the cathedral closed, and it was used for non-religious purposes until 1994. It is a beautiful church, typical of Orthodox churches with their colorful spiraled domes.

Zenkov Cathedral

Men playing chess in the park

St. Nicholas Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral. It has a deep rooted history dating back to the 20th century. The architecture is noted for its ship shape and seven azure domes. It was closed from 1936 until 1945. In 1995, it became a state-protected cultural and historic monument. We were able to go inside this church. It was beautiful inside. Very lavish. 

St. Nicholas Cathedral

Inside the church

Church spires of St. Nicholas

In 2003 and 2004, we stayed in a hotel across from the Opera House. The opera house was built between 1936 and 1941. We weren't able to attend a performance, but could hear the music from our hotel. 

Opera house

The Memorial of Glory is a memorial complex in Almaty. The park honors the Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen, 28 soldiers from an Alma-Ata infantry unit of the Red Army who reportedly died during World War II in the Battle of Moscow. An eternal flame commemorates the fallen soldiers, situated in front of a black monument honoring troops from all 15 Soviet republics. I have visited twice, in 1994 and 2003.

Eternal flame

Trumpeting Glory

The Central Museum in Almaty is the largest museum in Almaty and one of the largest museums in Central Asia. In 1931, the museum was located in the Almaty Cathedral. It was moved to its present location in 1985. We visited in 2003. The Museum of Traditional Music is a wood building built in 1908. It is located in Panfilov Park. It exhibits musical instruments. We did not visit, but the building was neat to see.

Central Museum of Almaty

Museum of traditional music

When you travel, you collect many stories. I'm not sure many stories reach the intrigue of our mysterious encounter with Irina. We met her at a place where we were buying souvenirs. She wanted us to follow her to the park to meet her friend. It ended well, but seemed very weird at the time.

Mysterious Irina

There were still symbols of Communism in 2003.

Yurt:  a symbol of Kazakhstan