Kazakhstan
Banquet table
On the table, melons, watermelons, sweets, biscuits, fried bread (boorsock), pyramids of sangza (a Uighur speciality of fried noodles) and, of course, bowls of tea. Behind the table,… [...]
the Aksu gorges
Turquoise-blue waters flow down the gorges carved out by the River Aksu. The Aksu River cuts a deep path through the mountains of the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve before spreading… [...]
A respectful welcome
In front of his yurt set up for the summer in the province of Khorgos, on the border between China and Kazakhstan, the owner welcomes a guest by… [...]
The Astana games
The Paris Olympic Games have just come to an end, and everyone still has some vivid images of them. The BMX events on Place de la Concorde, for… [...]
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The remote, Dolomite-like Kelinshektau mountain range in the Karatau Mountains with its lush green meadows and imposing peaks reminiscent of the traditional hats of Kazakh brides (kelinshek in… [...]
Pilgrimage through the stone desert
Kazakh pilgrims and tourists of all ages endure a lot of hardship to climb down from the Ustyurt plateau along narrow paths and countless steps to… [...]
Pareidolia
The Zhumbaktas (in Kazakh: Mysterious Stone) is a oddly shaped sandstone rock that rises up right in the middle of the Lake Burabay in northern Kazakhstan. [...]
Ahmed Yasavi Museum
The town of Turkestan, Kazakhstan, has been turned upside down by the extensive work being carried out to transform pilgrims into religious tourists. While… [...]
A bridge over the Ichim
It is a major attraction on the promenade along the River Ishim, and one of Astana’s many architectural boldnesses. Designed by the Kazakh studio New Moon,… [...]
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a 12th-century Sufi poet and mystic, is remarkable for several reasons. An important place of pilgrimage, its presence conferred on the… [...]