Almaty mountains. The mountains of Almaty and active recreation are why I love returning to Kazakhstan. What to bring from Almaty

Today it is the unofficially recognized southern capital of this state. The wonderful city has retained the qualities that were formed in it during the period when it was the center of the republic. It still has not lost its attractiveness and charm. The mountains of Almaty - an amazing creation of magical nature - also play a special role in this. They will be discussed in this article.

Almaty: general information

The beautiful city is located at the very foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau - mountains located in the extreme south-eastern part of the republic. This area represents the northern ridge of the great Tien Shan, rising from 600 to 1650 m above sea level.

In Almaty, due to this, the air temperature changes sharply even during the day. Several small rivers flow through the territory: Malaya, Bolshaya and their tributaries. The mountains of Almaty are a special pride and main natural attraction. Their names can be found below.

The former capital is the most important state center(scientific and cultural). The city is also the sports capital of the state. It should be noted that it was here that the Asian Winter Games were held in 2011. Below we will consider which mountains in Almaty have the highest height.

A little about the mountains of the Northern Tien Shan system

This is the most visited mountainous area in Kazakhstan due to its proximity to a large metropolis. Due to the wide opportunities for the development of various types of tourism, this area is called the Ile-Kungey TRS (tourist and recreational system), which includes the following ridges: Zhetysu Alatau and Ile Alatau.

Below is more detailed information, consider the description, the name of the mountains in Almaty.

Kok-Tyube

From the Kazakh language this name is translated as “Green Hill”, and in the mid-1900s it was called “Verigin Mountain”. Almost at the very foot there are residential areas. The mountain itself has a height of about 1130 meters above sea level.

Kok-Tyube is not only a natural landmark of the city, but also a place of national importance. On its slopes rises the Almaty television tower (372 meters). To climb the mountain, you can use a car or a cable car, built in 1967.

Ile-Alatau

What mountains are popular in Almaty today? Among them is Ile-Alatau. It has steep slopes in the north and gentle slopes in the southern part. Moreover, the northern ones, along almost their entire length in front of the plain, turn into a kind of hilly “counters”, and the southern slopes gradually descend into Kazakhstani mountain valleys Chilik and Kyrgyz Chon-Kemina.

For Ile-Alatau, a characteristic feature of the relief is deep gorges and long moraine ridges in front of the glaciers, which greatly complicates approaches to them.

Kungey-Alatau

With its northern slopes, Alatau descends into the river valley. Chilik (Zhalanash Valley), eastern - to the river. Charyn. Its valleys are flat, but the slopes are as steep as on Mount Ile-Alatau. The southern ones descend to Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan).

The peculiarity of Kungey-Alatau is its rather high alpine plateaus, which abruptly end towards the Chilik River. In the south, the mountains are framed by snow-ice peaks reaching heights of up to 4000 meters or more.

In conclusion about other features of the Almaty mountains

The Almaty mountains have their own uniqueness. In the ridges located north of the main one (Kungei Alatau), there are peaks that exceed it in height.

For example, in the Taldy gorge there is the Kyz-Ymshek peak with a height of 4024 m, despite the fact that the height of the main ridge does not exceed 3830 m (in the upper reaches of Taldy). And the distance from the peak of Kyz-Ymshek to the main ridge is 8 km. Moreover, the main ridge reaches a height of 4000 meters only in the valley of the Karakiya River, which is located 25 kilometers west of Talda.

The Almaty mountains also have their climatic features. Quite strong differences are observed in the regional climate characteristics of the Kungei-Alatau and Ile-Alatau ridges.

On the second ridge, most of the precipitation occurs in the area between the Malaya Almatinka and Talgar rivers. The driest is the western zone of Ile-Alatau. This is especially evident in winter time of the year. All this affects the temperature regime.

In Kungey-Alatau, the amount of winter precipitation (snow) is much less than in the Ile-Alatau mountains. Summer weather is about the same.

Great things, as is known for certain, can only be appreciated from a distance. To understand the true size of the Talgar Peak, it is best to go somewhere to Kapchagay. Or even better - for Kapchagai. You can even climb the low ridges of Malaysary-Arharly, through which the next mountain wrinkle of the tense crown of the Earth descends into the desert. From here, on a clear day, and especially at sunset, the Trans-Ili Alatau will appear in all its splendor and along its entire length.

From this distance the mountains look leveled, smoothed, consisting of two stripes. Below - dark blue, above - dazzling white. In spring and autumn, the stripes are equivalent; in winter, the blue stripe disappears completely, but in the hot summer, the white stripe becomes much thinner. And only in one place above this iridescent ribbon, breaking the order, rises a noticeable and unchanging massif of the Talgar Peak. Like a petrified castle of extinct genies.

It was no coincidence that I took a sophisticated observer so far, more than a hundred kilometers from the object of our interest. First of all, the spectacle is worth it. And secondly, it was from here, from the slopes of the western spurs of the Dzhungar Alatau, that the godfather of our mountains P.P. first saw the object of his dreams. Semyonov in 1856.

“On the morning of August 29, I quickly crossed a distance of twenty-seven versts from the Kuyankuzsky to the Karachekinsky picket. The road for the first nineteen versts went to the southwest, crossing a porphyry ridge, from the top of which I first saw with delight in the foggy distance the gigantic ridge - Trans-Ili Alatau."

However, the first delight of the future luminary of geography and prominent statesman of Russia Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky the next day turned into real rapture. For, as he approached the mountains, a wonderful action, a real extravaganza, unfolded before his eyes.

“During the entire time of our passage from the Ili to the Almaty picket, we saw in front of us the colossal Trans-Ili Alatau. This ridge stretches from east to west for more than 200 miles, rising in its middle to a gigantic height. In the very middle of it rises a three-headed mountain, with more 4½ thousand meters of absolute height. At the very top of this mountain, the snow does not stick to the dark, steep cliffs..."

Mount Talgar / Photo by Andrey Mikhailov

What is the exact height of the peak crowning the Trans-Ili Alatau? But no one knows for sure about this.

"...The highest absolute heights are confined to the middle part of the ridge - in the Talgar (Chiliko-Kebinsky) node. Here the highest point of the entire mountain system Ala-Tau - Talgar peak (5017 m), exceeding the highest point in all of Europe - Mont Blanc." This is an excerpt from a very authoritative academic publication of 1952, "Essays on the Physical Geography of Kazakhstan."

"Trans-Ili Alatau, the northern range of the Tien Shan mountain system, stretches in the latitudinal direction for 350 km, width 30 - 40 km, absolute height 4973 m (Talgar peak)." And this is from the no less authoritative reference book "Kazakh SSR. Concise Encyclopedia." for 1988. And I can give many such “points of view” on a figure that should (by definition) be extremely specific (up to several tens of centimeters). And many of them belong to no less authoritative sources. And time has not put an end to this confusion at all. The cards, however, are more categorical - “4973”. But even here there are discrepancies.

40 meters when determining absolute altitude - that's cool! It’s curious that Mont Blanc doesn’t give a damn about all this; he still doesn’t live up to any of these Talgars.

Mount Talgar / Photo by Andrey Mikhailov

The unique tectonic surge, which raised the Trans-Ili Alatau four kilometers above the Ili Valley, gave us the opportunity to admire main peak ridge with quite close range. And thanks to the complicated configuration of the Talgar peak (which is more likely a druse than a separate crystal), its appearance also constantly changes as the observer moves along the foot of the mountains.

Despite the fact that it is clearly visible from most areas of Almaty, many citizens are unaware of it. True, from here the favorite does not make an impression against the background of closer peaks in the upper reaches of Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka and Left Talgar. So many inexperienced Almaty residents (and, paradoxical as it may sound, there are more and more of them among those living next to some of the most interesting and accessible mountains on the planet) seriously consider the most important peak of the Trans-Ili Alatau to be the regular pyramid of the Big Almaty Peak (with a height of only 3684 meters and, by and large, not the top, but the leading part of the side spur).

Mount Talgar / Photo by Andrey Mikhailov

To fully admire our main peak from all angles, it is best to first go to Burunday, and then take a car ride along the Kuldzha highway. Or along the BAK. If you move along the stalls along the Talgar tract, the mountains will block themselves. However, perhaps the most impressive view of Talgar Peak will open from Talgar city. Foamy Talgarka below, a dark strip of ruff coniferous forests literally outside the outskirts, and above there is a peak wall in an eternally icy lining and surrounded by white satellites - Aktau, Metallurg and others.

It is clear that from ancient times the main height of the ridge located above the plain should have attracted the attention of everyone who looked from below. That is why its name suggests the presence of one of the most archaic toponyms of Semirechye. And so it is.

From the famous interpreter of local names, Professor Aldar Petrovich Gorbunov (in the book “Mountains of Central Asia”) we read:

“The main interpretation: from the Mongolian word Delger (wide, extensive). Another option is not excluded: “tal” - flat (Old Kyrgyz) and “gar” - mountain (Sogdian)... In the Mongolian language there is also the word “tavgar” - flat-topped."

Mount Talgar / Photo by Andrey Mikhailov

Wide and flat - as if we are not talking about the main height of the Trans-Ili Alatau! Meanwhile, it is the flattening and cut-off nature of the Talgar peak that is the most characteristic feature of this five-kilometer titanium. And, apparently, we may be dealing with an even more ancient name, perhaps dating back to the eras of Indo-European unity, the Bronze Age, and the Early Iron Age. This idea is suggested to me by the fact that the name, based on geographical feature, you can even read it in Russian. The similarity of Slavic languages ​​with Sanskrit (for example, “mountain” in Russian - “gara” in Sanskrit) and other Indo-European languages ​​that arose in the dark era of unity and spread from one center throughout the world is known. Talgar - Dol Gor, Long, that is, Long Mountain.

Mount Talgar / Photo by Andrey Mikhailov

And, of course, Talgar, with its height and abundance of climbing options, attracts the coveted gaze of climbers. You can “walk” on it, but you can also “climb”. The first people set foot on the summit in 1938. These were the Siberian climbers L. Katukhtin, G. Makatrov and I. Kropotov.

Alma-Ata is located in a basin at the very foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge of the Tien Shan system, separating the endless steppes of Kazakhstan and the basin mountain lake Issyk-Kul. From Almaty to Issyk-Kul across the ridge is only 70 kilometers, and to the border with Kyrgyzstan running along the ridge is 35. The proximity of snow and mountains has always contributed to the fact that Almaty, despite its southern location, has developed winter views sports. Today we will get acquainted with mountain sights" Southern capital"Kazakhstan.

1. Alpine sports complex"Medeo" is located in the mountain tract of the same name at an altitude of 1691 meters above sea level. Everyone has probably heard the name “Medeo” at least once - this world’s largest high-mountain skating rink has long secured its reputation as a “record factory”. The high mountains and the purest glacial water contribute to the excellent speed qualities of the ice, and over 200 world records have been set here over the years. The first skating rink in the Medeo tract was opened in 1951, and the current high-mountain complex was built in 1972. The skating rink is open to everyone from October to May; in the summer there is no ice, but you can roller skate, play football or just take a walk and have a good time. It is easy to get from Almaty to Medeo by car. regular bus or by car.

2. At the entrance to the sports complex.

4. In August there is no ice yet, and people on Medeo are involved in summer sports. And in this photo you can see a huge dam rising in the background, protecting Alma-Ata from mudflows coming down from the mountains.

5. Near Medeo there is the lower station of the cable car, leading even higher to the Chimbulak ski resort, located at an altitude of 3100 meters. We sit in the booth and soon admire the high-mountain skating rink from a bird's eye view.

6. Cable car passes directly over the mudflow dam, protecting the city below from an invisible but terrible danger. The proximity of the mountains has always posed a threat to Almaty - for example, in 1921, a mudflow hit the city from the mountains, which claimed more than 500 lives and destroyed about a quarter of the city's buildings. Less destructive were the mudflows of 1887, 1910, 1918 and 1956. Thus, in the second half of the 20th century, protecting a city of a million people from a new, much more serious, mudslide threat again became more relevant than ever. The construction of a huge dam in the bed of the Malaya Almatinka River began in 1964 and was carried out using blasting operations. In 1972 the dam was built.

7. And already in the next summer, 1973, the dam stopped a terrible mudflow with a volume of more than 6 million cubic meters - five times more powerful than the one that destroyed the city in 1921! It’s hard to say when the next mudflow will come: the mountains are constantly being monitored in this regard. But the main thing is that Alma-Ata is now shielded by a reliable shield, and the mountains are no longer a beautiful city danger. Today, after the work is fully completed, the mudflow protection dam in Medeo can withstand a mudflow three times larger than the one that came down from the mountains in 1973.

8. Behind the dam there is a mudflow reservoir. Today it is empty.

9. Drainage pipes are installed in the body of the dam, which, in the event of a mudflow and filling of the mudflow reservoir, ensure the outflow of water from the Malaya Almatinka River.

10. We rise higher. In the side valleys that branch off from the main one, smaller mudflow barriers are also installed.

11. The bulk of the main ridge of the Trans-Ili Alatau appeared ahead.

12. We are at the bottom station of the Chimbulak ski resort. It's summer, not the season, but there are still a lot of tourists. As a skier, it was interesting for me to explore the slopes of Chimbulak - they are not bad in principle; and there are even “black” tracks! :)

13. The next cable car leads even higher.

14. It’s summer now, but the cannons are still working - they moisten the soil ski slope, where excavation work is carried out in the off-season.

15. We reach the very top - there are mountains all around, and somewhere far, far below in the haze Alma-Ata is visible. How nice it must be to live in a city where literally walking distance so cool ski resort! I would probably ride every day! :)

16. Majestic landscapes of the Trans-Ili Alatau.

18. View of Alma-Ata from the mountains. Gorgeous!!!

19. The height of the Talgar Pass is 3180 meters. At first, when you just get out of the lift cabin, you feel a lack of oxygen, but then you get used to the altitude and it goes away. In any case, I need to train - I have one very serious mountain climb in my immediate plans.

21. To the Talgar Pass and highest point The Chimbulak resort is adjacent to several “home” peaks of Almaty - Chkalov Peak, Nursultan Peak (formerly Komsomol Peak), Shkolnik Peak, Fizkulnik Peak and others. Height mountain range, separating the steppes of Kazakhstan from Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan is 4000-4600 meters. What it must be like to find yourself at the very top of the ridge: in one direction - Kazakhstan and Alma-Ata, and in the other - Issyk-Kul and Kyrgyzstan.

22. Relax in the mountains - and just enjoy!

24. I wonder if Issyk-Kul can be seen from there?

26. The Kyrgyz-Issyk-Kul topic is very close to Seryoga and me - after all, just two months before we visited the other side of the ridge and had a lot of rides around Kyrgyzstan. And now here we are on the other side of these mountains, in Kazakhstan - but comrade

Above al-Farabi Avenue, where I finished, the slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau gradually begins to fold, breaking up into spurs and gorges. IN Soviet time here were apple orchards, for which the Almaty (“Apple Tree”) valley was famous from time immemorial, but now mainly private sector... but not at all the same as in . In general, it’s a sure sign that over the course of three visits I’ve become a little related to Alma-Ata - I have formed a favorite place, an old observatory on the Kamensky Plateau, which I will show here first of all.

Still, the main thing that makes Alma-Ata Alma-Ata is the mountains. Not what we usually call mountains - but real ones, with steep rocky slopes and eternal ice on the peaks. Trans-Ili Alatu is the northernmost large ridge of the Tien Shan, also the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, across which, however, there is no big roads. The average height of these mountains is from 3500 to 4500m, approximately the same as the Alps.
Thank you very much for identifying the peaks andarbay , whose comments I copy in full. In this frame, from left to right, the top ones are Pila (3750), with ice Prohodnoy (4070), a piece sticks out again with ice Tourist of Kazakhstan (4100), large snowless peaks Kargalinsky (3627) and Kamensky (3543), (they are also called Two Brothers ), between them is the Gemini Pass, above which you can see the ice top of the Gigant Peak (4250). Near Kargalinsky, bald - Kaskabas (2700), closer to us, wooded - Volchya Sopka (2305):

2.

Big Almaty Peak (3681), Tourist (3965, not to be confused with Tourist of Kazakhstan!) peeks out on the left

3.

4.

It was here a year and a half ago that I saw mountains of such heights for the first time in my life. And all the time that I was staying here, I admired them from the window.

5.

In September, there is a minimum snowfall in the mountains - after a hot summer, only the snow that never melts remains, and in fact there is not that much of it. But in the fall, every rain in the city means snow in the mountains. One weekend there was bad weather, and when the clouds parted again, the mountains looked like this. However, in the next couple of weeks this snow melted, and only became more dense in October. They look about the same in May - only the greens at the bottom are fresh:

6. Tereshkova Peaks (3420) and Young Geologist (3350)

View directly from New Square, with the blue dome in the background National Museum. On the lower left is Fizkulturnik (4068) with the Ayak glacier (Noga, and next to it, not visible from here, is the Til/Tongue glacier). The highest is the famous Komsomol Peak (4376, also known as Nursultan Peak, the most popular peak in the vicinity of Almaty and the dominant feature of its landscape). To the left of the flag is a snow dome that looks like a dumpling - Mount Karlytau (4150, a favorite place for skiers in the summer, it takes you half a day to climb - 15 minutes to descend). To the right of the flag is the peak of Heroes of Panfilov (4120)

7.

Who would guess that such views were taken from busy streets big city?

8.

Well, I first came to mountain villages on my very first visit - then one of my Almaty acquaintances lived right at the very top, and several times took me to visit him along the narrow winding streets. View from approximately the point where the flat slope ends, some of the highest high-rise buildings in Almaty:

9.

Yes, an Uzbek restaurant that looks very convincing. If the private sector of the Lower Town is inhabited mainly by poor people, then the private sector of mountain villages is Kazakhstan’s Rublyovka. That is, no, there are people of ordinary income here (like my friend), but these villages are not associated with them.

10.

The city with its smog is gradually remaining below. Mansions are clinging to the slopes, but as often happens in former Union, behind their fences there are ordinary unkempt streets and shops no better than in the area of ​​the Alma-Ata-1 station.

11.

However, it’s cool when your site offers views like this, all the way down to the steppe:

12.

What's up, to the gray peaks.

13.

And once, when I was visiting, I was offered a walk to the observatory - that’s how I found out about it. This was a year ago, and those photographs died under the circumstances mentioned more than once, and this year my friend lived in a different place.
However, I decided to go to the observatory again, and the website Zaproezd.kz showed that you need to go there by bus No. 5. It passes right at the gates of the observatory, and despite the sign “Attention! Scientific facility. Entry and entry for unauthorized persons is prohibited!”, you can enter here completely freely.

14.

At least I entered like this twice, openly took photographs in full view of the employees and even had a nice chat with them... but darkiya_v on another visit they weren’t allowed here - I caught the eye of one of the employees, who said that you couldn’t walk or take pictures here. In general, apparently, this is called “whoever you fall for.” Although cars are clearly not driving astronomers driving right along the observatory alley every now and then, and people live right here in their houses:

15.

From the alley there are impressive views of the hills and the city... hidden, however, by thick brown smog:

16.

Here you can see the springboards built for the 2011 Asian Games and the Esentai tower - tallest building Almaty (168m):

17.

In fact, this kind of dregs is not always here, and last year’s lost photographs were better in this sense. On this visit, it was possible to go up there on a clear day, but I kept putting it off and putting it off until later, until I realized that there was no time to wait for the weather - I would soon move on. Therefore - what is there:

18.

The observatory on the Kamensky Plateau and the Astrophysical Institute named after Vasily Fesenkov were founded in 1947 - exploration of the site was carried out already on the eve of the war, and the war itself greatly accelerated the process - not only artists and directors, but also scientists were evacuated to Alma-Ata. In 1951, Boris Strugatsky had a student internship here; under the guidance of one of the founders of the observatory, Gabriel Tikhov, he was engaged in astrobotany, which included, among other things, the search for life on other planets of the solar system - I think a lot of ideas for “Noon” came to him here. However, by the end of the 1950s, it became clear that the observatory was not located high enough, the light and smoke of a big city interfered with observing the sky, and new objects began to be built higher in the mountains - in the Bolshe-Almaty gorge and on the Assy-Turgen plateau. The observatory on the Kamensky Plateau remained something of a brain center of this system, which is still in operation today.

19.

Walking around the observatory, I even went inside freely (although I didn’t take pictures there anymore); on weekdays you can sign up for a tour here.

20.

The actual telescopes are in the backyard:

21.

Nearby is someone’s cottage, its appearance reminiscent of the fact that in Almaty 5% of the population are Uighurs:

22.

Obviously observatory buildings against the backdrop of the pyramidal Big Almaty Peak (3681m) - not the highest, but as if brought forward from the ridge and therefore hanging over the city:

23.

We are at an altitude of just under 1500m above sea level, this is more than twice as high as the opposite outskirts (600m) where I started this cycle, and several hundred meters above the center (800-900m). The kilometer-long difference in elevation within the city is impressive!

24.

And here, at the top, there are still apple orchards that once began almost behind New Square:

25.

The very word “Almaty” (in Russian, at the suggestion of the Tashkent Bolsheviks who did not know Kazakh, turned into “Alma-Ata”) is translated as Yablochny. Therefore, the Almaty Valley - the Apple Valley, the wild apple trees of Sievers grew here from time immemorial, and the Russian settlers quickly realized that domestic varieties would take root well. The result was the emergence of the Almaty aport - one of the most valuable apple varieties: in 1865, the first seedlings of the European aport were brought by a peasant settler from the Voronezh province, and by 1914, as a result of a long and systematic selection with the Sievers apple tree, a new variety was bred into the Soviet Union. At the time, it was grown by local state farms, primarily “Mountain Giant” (1933), which owned the entire fertile slope from Talgar to Kaskelen..

26.

But after the collapse of the Union, the state farm gardens went under construction, and according to locals, there was almost no real aport left. In these gardens, I asked people who were picking apples about it (and there were a lot of them here!), and they told me that yes - aport grows right next to the observatory, but this year there was a bad harvest, the apples were small and rotten. They say it's just degeneration - a purebred variety needs constant selection...

27.

But the apple orchards are amazingly good, these are real paradise above the smoky and noisy city. There is a sweet apple scent in the air.

28.

You can go to the slope:

29.

Someone's mansion against the backdrop of the Almaty center, among the new buildings of which the 100-meter earthquake-resistant Kazakhstan Hotel (1980), crowned with a characteristic crown, dominates.

30.

Apple trees against the backdrop of the city named after them:

31.

With its famous TV tower (1975-83)... When I climbed this hill, the visibility was much better.

32.

And with reverse side- it’s just mountains:

33.

Yes, the gorges of two Almatinkas - and, links to these posts can be considered a continuation. The Malo-Almaty Gorge leads to the famous Medeo stadium and mountain resort Chimbulak, and above Chimbulak is Nazarbayev’s palace - in Almaty, as elsewhere in Kazakhstan, it is higher than everyone else.

34.

This is not the last time I’ve been to Almaty - as already mentioned, this is still the most civilized city Central Asia, where I feel almost the same as in Moscow. It’s expensive to travel such a distance, so it’s more profitable to go here for a long time and cover more at a time, and to relax in Alma-Ata - most likely, it will continue to be my base for traveling around Turkestan. This means that in the long term, these posts will not be the last about her.

Next, I’ll tell you a little about Kazakhstan in general, based on the results of all my travels there: the similarities and differences of the three zhuzes, Kazakhstan railways and some thoughts about the Russian people in this country - I don’t know where I’ll start yet.

KAZAKHSTAN-2013
. Introduction.
. Background.
General information about Kazakhstan.
KTZ - Kazakhstan Railways.
About three Kazakh zhuzes.

Major historical milestones

As evidenced by burial mounds found on the territory of modern Almaty, the first inhabitants here were the nomadic tribes of the Sakas, who were later replaced by the Usuns. However, full-fledged settlements appeared in this area only in the 8th century. One of them, called Almaty, gave the name to the future city.

The official date of foundation of the first capital of Kazakhstan can be considered 1854, when the Russian Tsar decided to build military fortifications in the area of ​​the Malaya Almatinka River. As a result, by 1855, a full-fledged city grew up on the territory adjacent to the fortress, which received the name Verny.

With the advent of Soviet power, Verny became part of the Turkestan Autonomy and was renamed Alma-Ata (from the Kazakh “almaty” - “apple tree”). And in 1927, the city became the official capital of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which it remained until the end of the 90s.

In 1997, Nursultan Nazarbayev decided to move the capital of the republic to Akmola (today Astana), while the status of the cultural and economic core of the country still remained with Almaty.

Geography and climate

Almaty is located in the south-eastern part of Kazakhstan, at the foot of the northern slope of the Tien Shan ridge - Trans-Ili Alatau. The climate in the vicinity of the city is continental with traditional mountain-valley winds and, accordingly, sharp temperature fluctuations. In the southern regions of the metropolis, the proximity of glaciers is clearly felt (the vicinity of Medeo). However, compared to others settlements The climate in Almaty in the northern and central parts of the republic is much milder.

The coldest month of the year is January with an average of -4.7 °C. At the same time, the decrease in temperature occurs unevenly: in the center of the city there is a so-called “heat island”, whose daily thermometer marks noticeably contrast with the Almaty outskirts. average temperature July in Almaty +23.8 °C. Summer heat here the position of the city (650-900 m above sea level) and the night breeze from the mountains and local rivers are significantly softened.

Water resources

The hydrographic map of Almaty is represented by only two rivers - Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, as well as their tributaries - Esentai, Karasu, Zharbulak and Remizovka. However, due to the developed system of reservoirs, canals and river cascades, the illusion is created that there are many more reservoirs in the city. A characteristic feature of the Almaty landscape is the numerous “ruts” of irrigation ditches, most of which have existed since tsarist times. There is a misconception among tourists that these small waterways are part of the city's drainage system. In fact, ditches supply local parks and public gardens with life-giving moisture, and at the same time act as a natural air conditioner, bringing with them pleasant coolness on hot summer days.

Ecological situation


Alas, Almaty cannot yet boast of clean air. In 2010, the southern capital of Kazakhstan was included in the list of the most dirty cities world, and all because of the growing amount of transport, poisoning the atmosphere with gases and decay products. The city is constantly shrouded in a thick blanket of smog, so it is literally difficult to breathe here. Almaty also suffers from overcrowding: the city, originally designed for 400,000 residents, today has a population of about 1.8 million people. Transfer state capital to Astana partly “unloaded” the metropolis, but by and large did not solve the problem of overpopulation. The already unsightly situation is aggravated by the ban on the construction of new residential complexes within the city limits, stubbornly supported by the Republican government.

Districts of Almaty

Today, the former capital of Kazakhstan is divided into 8 districts:

  • Alatau;
  • Almalinsky;
  • Auezovsky;
  • Bostandyksky;
  • Zhetysusky;
  • Medeusky;
  • Nauryzbaysky;
  • Turksibsky;

From a tourist point of view, the most interesting part of the city is the Medeu district, where the main attractions, the high-mountain sports complex "Medeo" and park areas (Central Park culture and recreation, park 28 Panfilov men). It makes sense to look into the Bostandyk and Almaly districts, famous for their museums and cinemas.

Sights and interesting places

There are no truly ancient architectural monuments in Almaty, so tourists who come here have to be content with either the gigantic heritage of the Soviet era like the Palace of the Republic, or religious sites (churches, monasteries, mosques). Of the latter, the most notable are the Iversko-Seraphim Convent, founded in 1908, the Almaty Central City Mosque, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Intercession of All Saints Church, built entirely of wood, the Baiken Mosque and the Ascension Cathedral. Authentic monuments include the mausoleum of Raimbek Batyr (the legendary Kazakh leader) and the Independence Monument.


Despite the not-so-favorable environmental situation within the city, the nature in the vicinity of Almaty is simply fabulous. 15 km south of the former capital is the Big Almaty Lake - the main supplier of fresh water for residents of the metropolis and simply unique natural object, which arose back in the Ice Age. Nestled in a picturesque gorge and hidden from the outside world mountain ranges the reservoir belongs to the Ile-Alatau National natural park and is a protected object.

You can breathe clean air and appreciate the spectacular panorama of the city, shrouded in a constant veil of smog, at the top of Mount Kok Tobe. To save energy and at the same time look at the life of the bustling human “anthill” from a new angle, buy a ticket for the funicular that runs between Kok-Tobe and the center of the southern capital. There is some infrastructure on the mountain sites, and not so long ago a new park, whose attractions include a bench surrounded by bronze Beatles, a Wishing Fountain in the shape of a giant apple, and a mini zoo. Kok Tobe also has its own cafe, with expectedly inflated prices aimed at tourists.

For leisurely walks alone and with children, a city center is suitable. Botanical Garden. The place is calm, cozy and clean, although not amazing. And don’t forget to bring nuts – there are wonderful tame squirrels in the garden. But you should pay a visit to the inhabitants of the Almaty Zoo, which dates back to 1935, only if you are not afraid of the prospect of seeing animals that are not entirely happy and far from well-fed. The establishment does not have the best reputation, and financing is a bit tight here.

The park of 28 Panfilov men also deserves its share of attention, in the central part of which there is a memorial erected in memory of the unprecedented feat of the heroic division, and an eternal flame burns. Nearby there is a monument to internationalist soldiers, as well as a museum of folk instruments.

Tourists who are partial to all kinds of sports facilities will be interested in visiting the Medeo tract, where the ice complex of the same name, considered the largest in the world, is located. Medeo is known for its perfect ice surface and is open to everyone. Price entrance ticket for a skating rink for an adult visitor it fluctuates around 1800 tenge (328 rubles). As an alternative to Medeo, you can choose the Chimbulak ski resort with its special slopes for beginners and professionals. A day pass on weekdays here will cost around 5,500 tenge (1,002 rubles). IN holidays the cost of a subscription jumps to 7,000 tenge (1,276 rubles).

Almaty is a city of fountains. Today there are about 120 of them on the territory of the Southern capital, and only 61 fountains are in the municipal ownership of the city. The most unusual and interesting are “Week” on Baseitov Street, “Oriental Calendar” on Pushkin Street, fountains on Republic Square and in the Park named after the First President on Al-Farabi Avenue.

You can satisfy your cultural hunger in any of the city’s 10 theaters, art galleries or local museums. If you want to learn more about Kazakhstan, go to the Central State Museum, whose holdings number about 300,000 items. It is better to look at the mortal remains of mammoths in the Museum of Archeology at the Academy of Sciences. There are also interesting exhibits in the railway museum; in particular, here you can look at the legendary Morse apparatus.

Don't pass by the Green Bazaar, which to some extent is also a city attraction. In terms of assortment and atmosphere, this is a real oriental market, so you can buy everything there, as well as lose it - petty thieves are something of a national symbol here. Tasting a product and “bringing down” the price on the main trading platform of Almaty is in the order of things, so be sure to take advantage of this pleasant opportunity.

Restaurants and cafes

The menu of most Almaty restaurants is not limited to one specific cuisine, so establishments that serve exclusively National dishes, there are not so many in the southern capital. Of the more or less status options, “Gakku” and “Zhety Kazyna” still remain faithful to traditions. But you can find a cafe where they cook in the “Asian-mix” style without any extra effort. You can have a satisfying and inexpensive meal in the “Territory of Delicious Food” and “As-Kazan”, where there is a good selection of lagmans. In “Alash” the prices are already much higher, but the interiors are also richer. There are also plenty of places where they specialize in European and Mediterranean dishes (“Presso”, “Bear”, “Del Papa”). Well, the best way to relax in pleasant company and experiment with exotic cocktails is in local pubs (RestoBar, Mad Murphy's Irish Pub, Chukotka, Banka Bar).

What to bring from Almaty

Take with you a bar of chocolate and a kilogram of sweets from the local Rakhat confectionery factory, whose products have been exported for several years. You can also stock up on homeopathic preparations from the Kyzylmay company - balms, vegetable oils, herbal teas and all kinds of dietary supplements. The manufacturer himself claims that there are no analogues of its products in the world yet.

Another gift option from the former capital of Kazakhstan is Rakhmet tea, produced by the local Asia Tea factory. There are a lot of varieties: black, green, with fruit additives. In addition, Almaty is home to the Bacchus winery, whose cognacs and other alcoholic drinks can be easily purchased in the city’s branded stores.

If you need something as a keepsake, take a closer look at the leather and felt products with which all the souvenir and antique shops here are chock-full. Corpse patchwork quilts look very unique. You can buy them at local markets or in the same souvenir shops.

Transport

Transport traditions in Almaty are quite specific. Until recently, one could see buses, trolleybuses and even trams on city streets, but not a single minibus, which is officially prohibited here. Travel on buses is usually paid through a validator; the average cost of a trip is around 80 tenge.


In 2016, tram lines in the city were dismantled, so the main type ground transport Buses, trolleybuses and local taxis remain in the southern capital. Private transportation is also practiced. In 2011, they launched in Almaty own line the metro is short and not the most comfortable, but worth attention if only because of the stations themselves, decorated with traditional oriental pomp. You can pay for your subway ride with a smart card. The cost of an adult ticket is 80 tenge, a child ticket is half that. In addition, the city has its own Almaty airport and two railway stations.

Hotels in Almaty

If you want to live expensively and in style, use the Booking.com service, where they charge a symbolic 6,938 tenge (1,265 rubles) for a double room in Almaty.

The most popular hostels are Loco with its Indian interiors, Nomads, which is a 10-minute walk from the railway station, and Sky Almaty. You can book here either a private room or just a bed. Prices for a bed in a common room start from 2073 tenge (378 rubles).

How to get there

Moscow and Almaty are separated by more than 4,000 km, so the most convenient way to get to the southern capital of Kazakhstan from Russia is by air transport. Direct flights are provided by Aeroflot, Air Astana and Uzbekistan Airlines. In addition, there are several transit flights with transfers in St. Petersburg and Astana. With trains, things are more complicated: there are no direct routes “Moscow – Alma-Ata” yet, so you will have to make transfers to the “apple tree” city.

 

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