Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by a sequence of large and imaginative
buildings. Bus 21 runs here from the train
station via Zhenis, Abay, Saryarka, Turan
and Kabanbay Batyr, stopping on Konaev
near the Bayterek Monument. Returning,
catch it heading west on Konaev.
o
Bayterek¨Monument¨
mONUmENT
(
%
24 08 35; adult/child 500/150T;
h
10am-9pm)
Nurzhol bulvar's centrepiece is the 97m-
high Bayterek monument, a white latticed
tower crowned by a large glass orb. This
embodies a Kazakh legend in which the
mythical bird Samruk lays a golden egg
containing the secrets of human desires
and happiness in a tall poplar tree, beyond
human reach. A lift glides visitors up inside
the egg, where you can ponder the symbol-
ism, enjoy expansive views and place your
hand in a print of President Nazarbaev's
palm while gazing eastward towards his
palace. The egg-domed
National¨Archive
stands just west of the Bayeterek.
Ploshchad¨Poyushchykh¨¨
Fontanov¨
PLAZA
(Singing Fountains Square)
The eastern half of
the Nurzhol bulvar starts with this plaza
which springs to life with music-and-water
shows at 9pm on summer evenings. Fur-
ther east stand twin golden-green, conical
business centres: the southern one con-
tains the headquarters of
Samryk-Kazyna
,
Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund. Curv-
ing away left and right from these towers
are the two
wings
of the
House¨of¨Min-
istries
, and straight ahead, behind pretty
flower gardens, stands the white-pillared
presidential palace, the
Ak¨Orda
.
The two towers of parliament, the
Sen-
ate
and
Mazhilis
, rise behind the northern
ministerial building. At the south end of
the space before the Ak Orda is the tur-
quoise-tiled
Central¨Concert¨Hall
(archi-
tects: Manfredi and Luca Nicoletti, Italy),
whose design is intended to evoke the pet-
als of a flower.
Nur¨Astana¨Mosque¨
mOSQUE
(Kabanbay Batyr 36)
A block south of the
western part of Nurzhol bulvar stands the
beautiful four-minaret Nur Astana mosque,
opened in 2005. Its prayer hall (for men
only - women use the upper gallery) is an
exquisite multidomed space with inscrip-
tions and geometrical patterning in blue,
white, gold and red.
Northern¨Lights¨
ARCHITECTURE
These three light-green apartment towers
with wavy sides are a prominent feature of
the western part of the boulevard. Opposite
stand the
Emerald¨Towers
, office blocks
whose tops splay outward like the pages of
opening topics, and further west looms the
tall
Transport¨&¨Communications¨Minis-
try
, dubbed the 'Lighter' for its form by ir-
reverent locals.
East¨of¨Nurzhol¨Bulvar
The new city's axis continues east across
the Ishim River behind the Ak Orda. From
Nurzhol bulvar, you can hop on bus 40, east-
bound along Dostyk, to Baytursynuly just
north of the Palace of Peace & Accord, or bus
21 eastbound on Konaev to Tauelsizdik just
south of the same palace.
o
Palace¨of¨Peace¨
&¨Accord¨
ARCHITECTURE
(Dvorets mira i Soglasya;
%
74 47 44; Tauelsizdik;
tours adult/child 500/300T;
h
tours every 30min,
10am-7.30pm, to 6.30pm Oct-Apr)
This beauti-
ful, glass-and-steel pyramid was opened in
2006 as the home for the triennial Congress
of World and Traditional Religions, hosted
by Kazakhstan (next in 2015). The half-hour
tour (English-speaking guides available)
shows you a 1350-seat opera hall, the 3rd-
floor atrium where the religions congress
is held, and the apex conference room with
windows filled with stained-glass doves (by
British artist Brian Clarke). Full of symmetry
and symbolism, the pyramid is beautifully il-
luminated and a highlight of the city.
Designed by Norman Foster, it's conceived
as Astana's symbolic centre, and by 2030
(when the city is planned to have spread well
beyond its current extents) it should be near
the geographical centre too.
Palace¨of¨Independence¨
PALACE
(Dvorets Nezavisimosti;
%
70 03 89; Tauelsizdik;
tours 400T;
h
10am-1pm & 2-5pm Tue-Sun)
The
Palace of Independence is well worth a
visit especially for its huge scale model
of how Astana is planned to look in 2030.
It also holds an interesting ethnographic
hall with exhibits similar to those at the
Presidential Cultural Centre (p103). Eng-
lish-language tours are available. In front
of the palace, the 91m-high
Kazak¨Yeli¨
Monument
(Kazakh Country monument)
is
intended to symbolise the historic destiny
of Kazakhstan's people: it's topped by a
