Astana, A City Modelled After Putrajaya

By S. Kisho Kumari ASTANA (Kazakhstan), Sept 3 (Bernama) -- It was summer in Kazakhstan but Astana, its capital city, is still enduring chilly conditions with temperatures hovering between 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. Astana is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. The writer landed at the modern Astana International Airport here and hopped into a coach provided for the entourage of Malaysian journalists. She found the 15-minute journey to the hotel in the city awe-inspiring. The writer could not help but marvel at how closely Astana resembled Putrajaya, particularly in terms of its architecture which has modern and unique features. Fifteen years ago, Astana simply did not exist. It was merely a piece of vacant land sprawled along the Ishim River which runs through most of the country's territory. Astana, now the administrative centre of the country, boasts of many extraordinary designs inspired by concepts borrowed from or inspired by Putrajaya. The Malaysian journalists were here on a five-day visit at the invitation of the Kazakhstan Republic's government in conjunction with the 15th celebration of the Astana Day, also known as the Day of the Capital. ASTANA MODELED AFTER PUTRAJAYA Despite the cold weather, the journey to the city felt just like being back home as many of the buildings were similar to those in Putrajaya, Malaysia's new administrative capital. The administrative buildings were built in close proximity for convenience and the embassies of most countries were located in a specific area called the Diplomatic Village, in Astana. Explaining the similarity between the two cities, Malaysian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi said the similarities between Astana and Putrajaya was a reflection of the close ties between former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and President Nursultan Nazarbayev. "Several architects were sent to Putrajaya to learn the concept and designs which could be implemented here. That is why some of the buildings here resemble those in Malaysia, and even the bridge here looks exactly like the Seri Wawasan Bridge in Putrajaya," he told the writer. The city looked magnificent and construction was still ongoing. On the second day of the visit, the writer visited the famous Astana landmark known as the Khan Shatyr, a shopping mall shaped like a transparent tent with a man-made beach on the top floor. The design of the mall was similar to that of the Berjaya Times Square Theme Park, the Alamanda Mall in Putrajaya, and The Mines boating river. BUILDINGS WITH EXTRAORDINARY SHAPES Strolling down the city roads left the writer in awe. Spectacular buildings lined the city centre, each in shapes hard to find in any other cities. Tourists would be amazed to see buildings shaped like Egyptian pyramids, a cycling helmet and a spaceship. There were even those designed in the form of a wave and an egg. Many skyscrapers were modern works of art. Would you believe that they also have a building in the shape of a dollar? Incidentally, this is not a shopping mall but a government building, housing the Ministry of Finance, and appropriately so. Curious about plenty of unique shapes punctuating the cityscape, this writer asked an officer of the Nazarbayev Center, Altyntas Satarbay, why so many buildings were designed in such a fashion. Altyntas said the President wanted each building to have a unique design since the country experiences six months of winter period with no greenery in sight. "So, he directed that the buildings built in Astana should itself be unique and as decorations to the city," she explained. The upcoming Astana Expo 2017 saw more futuristic infrastructure being built in Astana city. DAY TIME LONGER THAN NIGHT Who will not like to spend more time roaming around in such a city, taking in its unique scenes and features, especially when one is a tourist? The fact that the days here are much longer than the night makes it easily possible. The writer was lucky enough to experience the city of over 71,000 hectares during the summer season when it gets dark only around 10.00pm. This gives tourists ample time to walk around the city in daylight. On the very first day in the city, the writer was surprised to see daylight outside at around 4.45am, after just hours of darkness, making her feel as if she had overslept. The fact was that the alarm had yet to ring. In Malaysia, people go to bed at around 10.00pm but for people in Astana, the night was still young to take a walk around with their friends and loved ones. ASTANA THE MULTICULTURAL CITY Astana might be seen as a new city, but is today home to various ethnic groups living in a multiracial and harmonious society, with a population of 790,238 people. Kazakhstan is the world's ninth largest country with a population of 16.7 million from about 100 different nationalities. Kazakhstan's two main religions are Islam and Christianity, with Islam as the official religion. The principal ethnic group is the Kazakhs, but the Asian Russian and Western people live in peace and respect each other’s culture. While visiting the Nur-Astana Mosque, the writer had an opportunity to witness a unique Islamic wedding ceremony where the couple was dressed up in a bridal gown and dark-coloured suit, much like in a European wedding. A liaison officer from the Kazakhstan embassy, Makhambet Yensegenov explained that their unique custom allowed couples to wear the Kazakhs traditional wedding attires or attires from any other culture. Just like the 1Malaysia concept which promotes multiracial harmony in Malaysia, Makhambet said their people also lived under a One Kazakhstan concept. COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES FOR TOURIST The lack of an interpreter or a contact person in the country could result in tourists being lost at one place or the other. This became apparent when, on the day this writer and the rest of the media entourage was to catch the return flight to Kuala Lumpur, it became difficult to find out the time of departure. Even officers at the information counters could hardly speak the English language. This writer had to resort to sign language to communicate with the officers at the airport to find out important details of her flight. Kazakh and Russian are the main languages in Astana and the signboards are only written in both languages, posing a problem for tourists. -- BERNAMA