Kazakhstan calls for Western travelers

GAMZE DÜŞMEZ

Calling themselves “stan countries,” Central Asian countries are looking to boost their tourism industries. Kazakhstan, which welcomes tourists from Russia, China and India, is eyeing for Western travelers as well.

If you’re looking for something different, uncustomary and lesser known countries in your travel plan for a holiday, have a go at Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

A former Soviet republic, Kazakstan gained its independence in 1991. Alongside its historic attractions, the country’s fusion of its Soviet-era structures, modern buildings and wide roads are waiting for tourists to be discovered.

Kazakhstan, the largest of the Turkic states, is a huge landlocked country with an area four times the size of Türkiye.

You can start discovering the country from Almaty, the former capital until 1997. The city remains a long-standing major commercial, financial and cultural center of Kazakhstan.

There are direct flights from both Istanbul and Ankara to Almaty, the second-biggest city in the country. The flight time takes approximately 5.30 hours. The transfer from the airport to the city center by bus is only 45 minutes. You can also hire a cab as taxis are very affordable in Kazakhstan, especially if you use the Yandex Go app, the Kazakh version of Uber. If you want to save money, you can take local buses as well.

Almaty means “father of apples,” a name that originates from apples, which is also the city’s symbol. If you plan to go in September locals advise not to miss the apple festival.

The city can be preferred for both summer and winter tourism, with its historical monuments, large parks and surrounding mountains.

You can see the communist-era Republic Square, walk in Panfilov Park and visit Zenkov Cathedral in the park which is a tsarist-era Russian Orthodox church and the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, displaying thousands of Kazakh artifacts.

Another spot worth visiting is the Green Bazaar.

Constructed in the 1970s, Green Bazaar stands as a reminder of Almaty’s historic past, when it was one of the most important stops on the Silk Road from China to Europe.

Foodies can spend a whole afternoon here sampling Kazakhstan’s impressive array of produce made from animal meat and milk, as well as food from across Central Asia.

You can also mix your cultural journey with skiing in Almaty.

The Central Asia’s largest ski resort Shymbulak Ski Resort, only 25 minutes by car to the center of Almaty, offers you a unique option to experience skiing in Central Asia.

It is situated at an altitude of 2260 meters above sea level. Founded in 1954, the resort marks its 70th anniversary. Since the mid-1950s, Shymbulak served as a training base for Soviet skiers, and the USSR and Kazakhstan championships were held on its slopes.

With the lifts rising to 3200 meters, the ski resort offers skiing from November to May. Here everyone can find a suitable slope for themselves. The slopes vary from complete beginners to more advanced ski pros.

The off-piste option is available as well. Most importantly, ski passes are cheaper than European resorts. The total length of the slopes is 25 kilometers and they are also open for nighttime skiing.

You can reach the resort by taking a gondola or cable car at the foot of the Tian Shan mountain, where the world's highest-altitude outdoor ice rink Medeu is located. The rink, which is big enough for three thousand people to skate at the same time, was built during the Soviet era

You don’t have to be a skier to go to Shymbulak.

You can discover Shymbulak in winter but in summer, too. You can engage in sports such as paragliding, horse riding and ATV tours, photo shoots, hiking tours and gastronomy beginning from spring.

 Kazakh cuisine

For the Kazakh people, whose origins are nomadic, horses have a big place in their lives. The horse is a means of transport, especially for those living in rural areas.

In addition to being a means of transport, it is an animal whose meat and milk are utilized. Kazakhstan cuisine is dominated by meat dishes (mostly horse and lamb) and milk products. Some of the traditional and popular products of Kazakhstan are shashlik, airan, tea, baursak and beshbarmak.

Baursak, which is known as “pişi” in Türkiye, is a delicious puffy fried bread served like bread with soup. Kesbe Koje is also a famous noodle soup with a lot of meat broth. Samsa is a meat and onion-filled bun that’s baked in a special oven. Another dish is Uzbekh Pilaf. Almaty has many restaurants that serve traditional Kazakhstan meals. Kımız, made from mare's milk, is a flavor worth trying even though its smell does not appeal to everyone.

As Kazakhstan attracts several tourists from South East Asia, you can find several Chinese and Indian restaurants while Kazakh restaurants serve also Chinese or Korean dishes on their menus.

While in Kazakhstan try to catch up on some traditional sporting events. One of them is called Kokpar, which is one of the oldest nomadic games in Kazakhstan. Kokpar is goat–picking. The essence of the game is that riders on horseback are fighting for the headless carcass of a goat, taking it from rivals and scoring a "goal" in a special gate.

Kazakhstan will hold this September the fifth World Nomad Games. Aimed at the development of ethno-sports The World Nomad Games are included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.