Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country located in Central Asia and in Eastern Europe. The country is bordered by Russia in the north and west, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan in the southeast, Uzbekistan in the south, the Caspian Sea, and Turkmenistan in the southwest. The country’s capital is Nur-Sultan, formerly Astana until 2019. Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, was the capital till 1997. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country and is also the world’s largest Muslim-majority country by total land area.
A multi-ethnic nation with one of the lowest population densities in the world, its population stands at 19 million population. The country dominates Central Asia economically and politically, generating 60% of the region’s GDP. It is rich in crude oil and natural gas dominates its industry. Kazakhstan has been inhabited historically by people belonging to nomadic groups and empires. In ancient times, nomadic Scythians from Iran inhabited the land.
Even the historic Achaemenid Empire of Persia had expanded into the southern territories of modern-day Kazakhstan. Turkic nomads, who trace their ancestry to Turkic states inhabited the country from as early as the 6th century. In the 13th century, it was overrun by the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan. In the 15th century, the Kazakh Khanate managed to conquer huge tracks of land, that would later more or less form the territory of modern-day Kazakhstan.
The Kazakhs emerged as a distinct Turkic group, by the 16th century. They raided Russian empire territory throughout the 18th century, forcing the Russians to advance into the Kazakh Steppe. The Russians by the mid-19th century nominally ruled entire Kazakhstan as part of the Russian Empire. They also liberated the slaves captured by Kazaks in 1859. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the dissolution of the Russian Empire, and the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, Kazakhstan’s territory was reorganized many times. In 1936, it was established as Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union.
Kazakhstan was the last to declare its independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991. The name “Kazakh” comes from the ancient Turkic word qaz, “to wander”, reflecting the Kazakhs’ nomadic culture. The “Cossack” term has the same origin. The Persian meaning is literally translated as “land of the wanderers”. Though referred only to ethnic Kazakhs, including those living in neighboring countries, Kazakh is increasingly being used to refer to any inhabitant of Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh territory was a key part of the Eurasian trading Steppe Route, the ancestor of the Silk Roads. It has been ruled by many ethnic groups since ancient times including Scythians. The Cumans entered Kazakhstan around the early 11th century and established the vast Cuman-Kipchak confederation along the Silk Road connecting Asia and Europe. Thanks to the Mongol Empire, the first strictly structured administrative districts of Kazakhstan were established. After the division of the Mongol Empire in 1259; modern-day Kazakhstan was ruled by the Golden Horde or Ulus of Jochi who were Turco-Mongol descendants of Genghis Khan and followed Islam.
In 1465, as a result of the dissolution of the Golden Horde, the Kazakh Khanate emerged. It was established by Kerei Khan and Janibek Khan, and Kazakh territory continued to be ruled by the Turco-Mongol clan of Tore. In the 17th century, the Kazakhs fought Oirats, which was a federation of western Mongol tribes, including the Dzungar tribe. With the advent of the 18th century, Kazakh Khanate reached its zenith. Boosting their power, the Little Horde participated in the 1723–1730 war against Dzungar Khanate. This forced the Russian Empire to build the Irtysh line, in the first half of the 18th century. The line was a series of forty-six forts and ninety-six redoubts.
In the late 18th century, the Kazakhs raided Russian and Volga German settlements. The Russian Empire began to expand its influence into Central Asia, in the 19th century. The Russian efforts to impose its system were resented by the Kazakh people, and by the 1860s, some Kazakhs started resisting Russia’s rule. Following the collapse of the Russian Empire in Petrograd in November 1917 during World War 1, and the subsequent Communist rule created huge disturbances including famines in the region. The forced settlement of nomadic Kazakh people in the Soviet period, combined with the large-scale settlement of Slavic people disturbed the ethnicity and structure of Kazakh society.
On 5 December 1936, the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, lasted till the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Dec 16, 1991. Nursultan Nazarbayev became the country’s first President, Nazarbayev resigned 29 years after taking office, on In March 2019. However, he ensured Kazakhstan’s abundant supply of mineral and crude oil attracted huge foreign investment. They contribute 57% of the nation’s industrial output or 13% of GDP. Kazakhstan’s augmented role in global trade coupled with its central positioning in Central Asia; on the new Silk Road from China; has given the country the opportunity to boost its potential with an open market.
Kazakhstan’s economy has grown at 8% average per year, over the past few decades thanks to hydrocarbon exports. Agriculture accounts for approximately 5% of Kazakhstan’s GDP. Kazakhstan is considered, one of those places where apple fruit originated. Well connected by road, rail, air, and sea; Kazakhstan has an “extreme” continental climate, with hot summers and very cold winters. The country’s western and southwestern parts are dominated by the Caspian Depression, which at its lowest point is a whopping 95 feet below sea level. Likewise, depressions filled by salty lakes whose water has more or less evaporated can be found in the undulating central Kazakhstan uplands.
Nursultan holds the record of the second coldest capital city in the world behind Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. Tourism is growing in Kazakhstan’s economy and has offered a permanent visa-free regime to tourists from dozens of nations to boost their arrivals. The country is a leading player in education with over 99.5% literacy rate. Before being colonized by the Russian Empire, the Kazakh people were leading a life characterized by a highly developed culture; that was based on their nomadic pastoral economy.
Islam as a religion was introduced into the region as a result of the arrival of Arab traders during the 8th century AD. Islam initially started spreading in the southern parts of Turkestan and then it spread northward into Kazakhstan. It created a distinct identity for the country in arts, music, literature, and cuisine. Kazakhstan as a country has inherited and incorporated the cultures of the ancient Silk Road, Nomadic lifestyle, and the Soviet Union; all of which had a great influence on the formation of the country as it is today. It is this mixture that makes Kazakhstan as a country look so different from any other country not only in the Central Asian region but also in the world.
Kazakhstan has steadily emerged as home to a large number of prominent contributors in the field of science, literature, and philosophy. There are numerous hotels and resorts that provide luxurious, mid-range, and budget accommodations. Alcohol is freely available despite Kazakhstan being a Muslim-majority country. The country also has a vibrant nightlife with numerous bars and nightclubs mostly in Astana and NurSultan, where youngsters go to chill out. There are numerous destinations worth visiting in and around the capital and Almaty that are known for their stunning locations.
Surrounded by mountains and steppes, the 2 major cities are also the most modern cities with most of the population living in these cities. The best time to visit is between July and August when the weather is perfect throughout the country. However, if you want to go for sightseeing in the beautiful steppes, then better to choose to go between April to June or between September to October. Nature lovers can also visit the 10 nature reserves and 10 national parks in Kazakhstan that provide safe haven for many rare and endangered plants and animals found anywhere in Central Asia.
Restaurants mostly located in Almaty and NurSultan serve a variety of local cuisine, including livestock meat, like horse meat and beef cooked in a variety of ways, and served with a variety of traditional bread products at various prices. Tourists can avail a variety of tea in the cafes. Tourists can also try out traditional milk-derived drinks such as shubat, ayran, and kymyz; or the national beverage, which is made from fermented mare’s milk.
Tourists are also recommended to try the traditional Kazakh dinner that involves a variety of appetizers, followed by a soup and one or two main courses dishes such as pilaf and beshbarmak. There are several new shopping malls that have come up in the last few years in Almaty and NurSultan sells a variety of branded products. Tourists can also try to Spend time with people living nomad life. All this makes Kazakhstan a must-visit place for tourists for an extended weekend visit.
