Tag: Kazakhstan
Bogdanovich Glacier: A Frozen Spectacle
At specific times of the year, you can trek from Shymbulak to the foot of the Bogdanovich Glacier in Kazakhstan, where surreal ice formations await. As sunlight filters through,… [...]
Abai Qunanbaiuly, the Soul of Kazakh Culture
This mural in Aktau, Kazakhstan, commemorates the 175th anniversary of Abai Qunanbaiuly, a poet, philosopher, and key figure of Kazakh culture. The artwork features Abai alongside his writings,… [...]
The Lexicon of Kazakh Decolonisation
Over thirty years after the Soviet Union’s collapse, colonial influences persist in Kazakhstan. Russian remains widely spoken and serves as the primary language for interethnic communication. As language is a… [...]
Cosmonauts in Karaganda
A shiny Yuri Gagarin stands tall in the city center of Karaganda. This monument dedicated to cosmonauts has been erected in 2014 to coincide with the 80th birthday… [...]
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine
By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We're independent and we need your help to stay that way!
When Freedom of Speech Is a Joke: Author of a Satirical News Outlet Detained in Kazakhstan
Temirlan Yensebek, creator and author of “Qaznews24,” an agency of satirical news, has been detained on Saturday in Almaty. He is expected to stand trial under accusations of incitement of… [...]
Singing Dunes
This photo captures the Singing Dunes (“Aigaikum” in kazakh) of the Altyn-Emel National Park in winter. It is the perfect spot to admire the peaceful landscape all around.Tourism… [...]
Abai and Semey
Two men walk by the entrance of the Abai Theater of Semey. The theater, built in a typical Soviet modernist style, is named after Abai Qunanbaiuly, or simply… [...]
Khiuaz Qayrqyzy Dospanova, Kazakh heroine of Soviet aviation
A monumental fresco depicting Khiuaz Qayrqyzy Dospanova, a heroine of Soviet aviation, on a building in Aktau, Kazakhstan, celebrating her courage as the first Kazakh woman pilot of… [...]
Between tradition and modernity
A view over the Khan Shatyr entertainment center of Astana. This emblematic 150m-high structure designed by Norman Foster combines the shape of a traditional kazakh yurt with the… [...]
Train life
A mother and her son sit in the half-empty third class (known as platzkart) of the Kazakh Astrakhan–Atyrau train. Due to airfares often too high, the train… [...]