Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan, purpose-built on the vast Kazakh steppe about 1,200 kilometres northwest of Almaty. It became the capital in 1997, and since then an extraordinary building boom has transformed what was a modest provincial city into a showcase of futuristic architecture.
The left bank of the Ishim River is where the showpiece buildings are clustered: the Bayterek Tower (the city's symbol, a 97-metre observation tower shaped like a tree holding a golden egg), the Khan Shatyr entertainment centre (a giant transparent tent designed by Norman Foster), and the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (a glass pyramid, also by Foster). The scale is enormous and deliberately so — this is a capital designed to project ambition.
The right bank feels more like a real city, with Soviet-era apartment blocks, markets, and the older residential neighbourhoods. The climate is brutal — winters regularly drop below minus 30°C with biting steppe winds, and summers can reach 35°C. Spring and early autumn are the most comfortable times to visit.