The old central park of Shymkent, smaller and shadier than Independence Park and right in the centre. Named for Abay Qunanbayuli, the 19th-century Kazakh poet and translator who appears on the 20-tenge note, the park has the usual mix of a small Ferris wheel, a children's playground, a few summer kiosks selling kvass and beer, and benches under tall poplars.
A good place to escape the midday heat in summer — the trees here are mature and the temperature in the shade can be ten degrees lower than the street outside.