The National Anthem of Kazakhstan

A national anthem is a solemn song singing glory to pride, courage and valour. The music to our anthem was composed by Shamshi Kaldayakov. The words were written by Nursultan Nazarbayev and Zhumeken Nazhimedenov.

ALMATY

Almaty is a sunny, comfortable, very green city with broad streets, beautiful buildings, numerous parks, squares and foun­tains.

The city was established on February 4, 1854. That year the Russian government made the decision to establish a military fortress in this place. It got the name Vernyi. The first Russian migrants began to arrive there in the middle of 1855. Soon after that the fortress began to develop quickly and on April 11, 1867 the town was declared as the centre of Semirechenskaya area.

There are not many cities in the world which names have a deep sense and meaning. The city received the present name Almaty in 1921. Alma is the Kazakh word for apple. A bit later it became the capital city of the country. Almaty is the biggest city in Kazakhstan, it is the largest financial, economic and cultural center of the whole Central Asian region.

Almaty, with its population of about 1,3 million people, accommodates a large number of theatres, museums, art galleries, exhibition halls, cinemas, restaurants and stadiums. There are many old buildings, beautiful monuments which attract tourist attention. A lot can be seen in surroundings. One place one must visit is the unique sport complex Medeo.

This ice skating-rink is located at 1700 meters above sea level. You can take a cable car and go to the green hills of Kok-Tyube to enjoy a splendid sight of the mountain ranges and the city. A unique natural wonder Chimbulak ski resort which is situated at a height of 2230 meters is another popular tourist destination. It is a place where one can learn to ski. Within 30 minutes you can get away from the dusty stuffy city to relax in the wild nature.

Chokan valikhanov

This man was born in November, 1835. His full name is Mukhammad-Khanafiya. Chokan is his nickname. Chokan spent his childhood in the steppe. He learnt to read and write in Kushmuran the place where he was born. He studied at a private Kazakh school. There he got his first ideas about oriental poetry and learnt the Arabic language. As a child Chokan became interested in the past of his native land and the folklore of the people living there. He wrote down the patterns of many Kazakh epic poems and songs. His father took him to Omsk in the autumn of 1847. There Chokan was accepted at the Siberian military school.

Chokan became an officer of the Russian army, an intelligence officer and a diplomat. Since his childhood he had a passion for traveling. He had a dream to discover unknown mysterious parts of Asia for the rest world. His dream came true. Valikhanov's journey to Kashgaria or the Eastern Turkestan in 1854 made him well-known and gave him wide popularity and glory as a fearless traveler. During the exploration he gathered abundant material on the history, geography and economic situation of the country.

He did not only investigate and describe an unknown territory but he told about the people living there, about their history, state of mind, ideas and feelings.

His merits were highly valued by the government. He was awarded with an order and was promoted to a higher rank.

Living in St. Petersburg Chokan did not lose connections with his native land. He published materials on the history and ethnography of the Kazakhs, their life, customs and culture.

In 1861 his poor health and serious disease forced Chokan to return home. This man was born for great achievements and he realized this high mission brilliantly. Nature gave him great phenomenal abilities. But his life was too short.