Astana of the Eurasian Center

Author: Nuzhat Nazarbayev
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book is a new publication by President Nazarbayev, released in 2005. As we all know, Almaty was once the capital of Kazakhstan. In the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Kazakhstan's independence, following an initiative by President Nazarbayev and approval by the Kazakh Parliament, the Kazakh government decided to move the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana. The new book written by President Nazarbayev is a comprehensive monograph introducing Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, from perspectives of history, politics, geography, the philosophy of establishing a capital, and architectural art. The author first discusses in the chapter titled "The Philosophy of the Capital" the thoughts and reasons behind his proposal to move Kazakhstan's capital from Almaty to Astana. Next, in the second chapter titled "Chronicles of Astana," the author narrates the historical development of the Ysyk-Kul (Ishim) River Basin, where Astana is located, on the Kazakh steppe, from the earliest Neolithic era when nomadic and agricultural communities first appeared there to the changes in subsequent eras. Later, in the third chapter titled "The Aesthetics of Astana," the author dedicates significant attention to describing Astana's urban planning, the design philosophies and construction processes of some iconic buildings, and the traditional and modern elements combined in these structures.