Astana has been the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1996. The city is located in the central part of the country and in the north of its immense territory, called Sary Arka, on the right bank of the Esil (Ishim) River at the distance of 1318 km from the former capital of Kazakhstan - Almaty. In 1862 the Cossack military fort became the city of Akmolinsk. Majestic buildings of the House of the Government and the Parliament, a huge number of new establishments and the restored buildings attract attention of citizens and tourists.
Astana is becoming an international business and cultural centre not only for Kazakhstan, but also for the Eurasian continent.
Astana is a city on the rise – literally and figuratively. Its stunning modern architecture is rising from the vast Asian steppe as its international reputation as a center of regional trade and politics grows along side. The same is true of the city's arts culture. The venues and the art you will find here reflect the history of Kazakhstan while pushing the boundaries of what came before.
Among the most stunning examples is Astana's new Kazakhstan Central Concert Hall. This 3, 500 seat hall sits inside a stunning turquoise blue building of swirling lines and changing vistas designed by Manfredi Nicoletti following an international design competition. It's one of the largest halls of its kind in the world and is the setting for frequent performances ranging from visiting opera troupes to traditional Kazakh music.
So I get a lot of emails from people planning to move here, or doing weird things like doing a role playing game, who want very specific information on living here. As a PSA, I try to tackle the most frequent questions here every now and again. The topic today is doing the shopping and I thought I’d outline what I buy where and why.
Personally, I do most of my shopping at Vester, which is located in the Keruen shopping complex on the Left Bank, near Bayterek. I think it’s the best compromise of price, availability of products and quality. I prefer to do most of my shopping in supermarkets where I can pick things out myself and also where I can buy as many things in one place as possible. Vester has excellent produce for a supermarket and good meat. The only thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t target for foreigners or gourmands. So if you want more exotic things, you have to go somewhere else. The produce section is pretty much apples, oranges, bananas, potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, lemons and scallions. Sometimes you’ll see lettuce or pears or limes or grapes or kiwis. I can’t get much in the way of spices or sauces there either.
Astana, formerly known as Akmola (Kazakh: Ақмола / Aqmola, until 1998), Tselinograd (Целиноград, until 1992) and Akmolinsk (Russian: Акмолинск, until 1961), is the capital and second largest city (after Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708, 794 as of 1 August 2010., though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area.
The current mayor of Astana is Imangali Tasmagambetov. He was appointed on 4 April 2008.
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