THE DOORWAY TO PARADISE

The portal NDH presents interesting historical facts about our capital city and its surrounding territories.

1. The first people appeared on the Akmolinsk Ishim territory around 1 million years ago, during the acheulean-mousterian era.
2. The medieval city Bozok was located near modern day Astana.
3. At the beginning of spring the area between the rivers Ishim and Nura filled with water. However, the city of Bozok was spared this fate as it was located on a higher altitude.
4. The people of Bozok practiced different religions and during archaeological research Muslim and Christian mausoleums were discovered.
5. It is well-known that “Astana” from Kazakh translates as “capital” but few people know that from Arabic “Astana” means “door sill” or “entrance into a palace”                                                                                                 
6. In 1381, through the lands of the Akmolinsk Ishim, the armies of Timur, the infamous ruler of Central Asia, arrived.
7. The majority of the Akmolinsk population belonged to the Middle Horde.
8. Not far from Astana Tauke-Khan had travelled through the territories with his people.
9. In 1832 Konur-Kulja Kudaimendin, a Chingissid, great grandson of Semeke Khan, became the Sultan of the Akmolinsk county.
10. Kenesary Kasymov, at the beginning of his rebellion, sent his people with a message for Governor General of Western Siberia. One of the demands was to get rid of the Akmolinsk order. The messengers’ demands were not heeded and instead they were subjected to a punishment known as “running the gauntlet”.                                                                                                                                 
11. In 1845 one hundred cossack families were resettled from the Siberian line. In Karautkol they formed the Akmolinsk cossack village.
12. Grigoriy Potanin said the following about the Akmolinsk region: “I am now confident that the paradise of Adam and Eve is located in the upperlands of the Irtysh”.
13. In February of 1918 the opening of the Akmolinsk District Council Congress was held, but just a few months later, at the beginning of June of the same year, a counterrevolutionary revolt happened and the members of the Council were arrested
14. In 1934 S. M. Kirov spend around 20 days in the city with the aim of improving the bread harvest numbers. The annual plan for bread production was successfully met.
15. The legendary 29th, 310th and 387th rifle divisions were formed in Akmolinsk. Thousands of soldiers from Akmolinsk lost their lives during the Great Patriotic War.
16. In may of 1979 the Soviet administration issued a draft decree “On establishment of German Autonomous Region in Kazakhstan” but the local population was not happy with this decision. In June of 1979 the youth of Tselinograd organized a number of protests in different locations in the city against the establishment of this autonomous region. The draft decree was withdrawn from consideration.                                                                                                                                              
17. In 1998 UNESCO presented Astana with a medal and title of “City of Peace”.
18. The former mayor of Moscow, Y. Luzhkov proposed that Astana be included into the Guiness Book of Records due to its new construction rate.
19. The tallest building in Central Asia, “Abu Dhabi Plaza” is currently being built in Astana.                          
20. At the moment Astana is hosting the exhibition “New Faces of the Capital”, during which photographs of the winners of the project “100 New Faces of Kazakhstan” will be presented along with their background stories and main life achievements.