Almaty - Round One

Saturday 16 September 2023

Change day - we flew to Almaty today.  As we drove to the airport we passed the Grand Mosque of Astana.  We’d been able to see this from our 38th high hotel room and wondered why it wasn’t in our guide book.  It turns out it was only finished last year and is the largest mosque in Central Asia accommodating over 200,000 people in its main hall.  That’s massive!  Certainly nudges Hazret Sultan Mosque down the mosque pecking order.  It has the largest handmade carpet and largest wooden door in the world.  Next time. 

The airport experience was super smooth again.  It feels as if Astana’s prominence as a capital isn’t yet matched by footfall (mind you it’s hardly a major tourist destination).  A bling city in the middle of a big steppe.  There is no city rail transport but we can see it’s being built.  Maybe in 10 years time it’ll be more popular.  I do think some of the new sparkly buildings may have lost their shine though by then.

We were met in Almaty by a female taxi concierge and driver.  My first and how lovely to see!

We spent the afternoon exploring Almaty.  We visited the bazaar and stocked up on our holiday staples of apricots, walnuts and pistachio nuts.

We wandered up to Panfilov Park, a memorial to a regiment who defended Moscow against the Germans in 1941.  The tank and guns dotted around the entrances were a handy reminder.

The monument itself, complete with eternal flame, was certainly large.  The fighters are leaping out of the mural making the shape of USSR in progress.

Our main draw for this park was the Cathedral of the Holy Ascension.  At 44 m high it is the one of the tallest wooden constructions in the world.  It also is one of the oldest buildings in Almaty by virtue of not toppling over in the 1910 earthquake when pretty much else was flattened.  So there is no quaint old corner of Almaty: it is all under 120 years old and considerably Soviet in design (no frills here).  

They were obviously geared up for tourists with 'Cinderella' horses and coaches trotting past.

We popped up to the central mosque but we’d already been spoilt by Astana’s two so moved on quickly. 

Nothing much else to report. We wandered through the shopping drag which was nice and lively on a Saturday night then settled with supper at our hotel for ease - and it was surprisingly nice to boot.