Photos - Kazakhstan
We started the 2009 Central Asia journey in Astana, a former steppe village declared Kazakh capital in 1997. From Astana we drove to Semipalatinsk-16, the site were the first Soviet nuclear bomb was detonated. From Semipalatinsk-16 we drove to Karaganda over the steppes in an UAZ 4x4 car. From Karaganda we took a train to Almaty the previous capital of Kazakhstan.
The government has invested Billions of Oil dollars to upgrade Astana to a modern metropolis. Giant projects, sometimes groundbreaking sometimes pure post Soviet kitsch are undertaken by famous architects such as Norman Foster. Apart from a site seeing tour in Astana did we made a daytrip to Akmola Labour Camp for Wives of Political Dissidents. After two days in Astana we drove North East to Semipalatinsk-16, the test side of the first Soviet Atomic Bomb. On the way we passed Aksu, a typical Soviet era industrial city with giant Steel and Power Plants and a park with dozens of Lenin statues and other communist monuments. Semipalatinsk-16 now renamed Kurchatov was one of the most secret locations in the Soviet Union and is now almost deserted since the nuclear test programme was terminated. From Kurchatov we drove to Karkaralinsk, which took a day straight trough the steppes, without any roads. The journey ended in Karaganda the heart of the Kazakh Gulag, were we visited the Ecology museum, Karlag headquarter in Dolinka and the giant steelworks of Temirtau. The last place in Kazakhstan was the former capital Almaty were we were we spend a couple of days before we moved on to Kyrgyzstan.
Dusseldorf - KD Avia B-737
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Germany
Dusseldorf
02-Jul-2009
Boarding the KD Avia Boeing 737 to Astana via Kaliningrad
Astana - Presidential palace
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Ak Orda Presidential Palace home of President Nazarbayev
Astana - Bayterek tower
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Bayterek Tower, the symbol of Astana the new Kazakh capital
Astana - Astana city centre
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Bayterek Tower in the centre of newly build area of Astana
Astana - Astana city centre
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Office and government buildings on Astana’s new Main Square
Astana - Astana city centre
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Brand new apartment buildings on Astana’s new main square
Astana - Astana city centre
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Astana’s The golden twin towers called The ministries houses
Astana - Pyramid of peace
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
The Pyramid of Peace by famous British architect Norman Foster
Astana - Triumph of Astana
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
The Stalinist style Triumph of Astana apartment building
Astana - Khan Shatyry
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Sketch of what the Khan Shatyry wall look like when finished
Astana - Khan Shatyry
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Construction side of Norman Foster’s Khan Shatyry pyramid
Astana - Central mosque
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Kazakhstan
Astana
02-Jul-2009
Worshippers around Astana’s Central Mosque build in 2008
Alzhir - Alzhir Prison Camp Memorial
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Kazakhstan
Alzhir
02-Jul-2009
Alzhir Prison Camp for Wives memorial in central Kazakhstan
Alzhir - Alzhir prison camp memorial
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Kazakhstan
Alzhir
02-Jul-2009
Names of people that have died in the Kazakh prison camps
Leninsk - UAZ-452
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Kazakhstan
Leninsk
02-Jul-2009
Our Kazakh guide Vitali who was friendly and knowledgeable
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