The capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1997 was moved to the city of Astana. Its history officially began in 1830, when a Cossack outpost was founded on the site of the modern center and suburbs of Astana to protect it from the devastating raids of the Kokand neighbors. Local residents asked for protection from the Russian authorities, and the Cossack order was headed by Colonel Fyodor Shubin. A small fortress quickly grew into a city called Akmola.
The 60s of the last century became the era of virgin lands development. Thousands of volunteers went to cultivate the North Kazakhstan steppe, and Akmolinsk in 1961 was solemnly renamed Tselinograd.
Thirty years later, the current capital of Kazakhstan again received its historical name and became Akmola. Translated from Kazakh, this means "white shrine", because in the suburbs of Astana, on the top of a limestone hill, the respected and revered nomad Niyaz-bi was buried.
New town
The rapid growth of Astana became possible after it acquired the status of the capital and the organization of a special economic zone on the territory of the city. The implementation of numerous modern urban development projects has turned the capital into an advanced metropolis. By the decision of UNESCO, Astana was named "the city of the world" and it was entrusted to host many prestigious exhibitions and sports competitions of an international scale.
The government plans to reorganize the suburbs of Astana and bring them in line with the architectural appearance of the capital. According to the existing project, all surrounding villages will be put in order by 2020. Modern hotels, affordable comfortable housing, shopping centers and social infrastructure will be built in the suburbs, which will make the Kazakh capital even more attractive for business travel and tourism.
Air gate
An international airport has been built in one of the suburbs of Astana, from which up to fifty flights to the countries of near and far abroad are made daily. Astana airport is connected to the administrative and business center "Abu Dhabi Plaza" by a high-speed tram.
