Kazakhstan: Nur-Sultan aka Astana
Nur-Sultan is the capital of Kazakhstan and (like Artist formerly known as Prince), it’s been formerly known as Astana. The city was renamed in March 2019 by the unanimous vote of the prliment to commemorate the country’s living President Nursultan Nazarbayev who resigned that month after 29 years in power. (Note to self – would be nice to rename Minsk or New York into something like Ruslensk or New Rus City). Nur-Sultan is a planned city (like Brasilia or Canberra) and feels quite similar to those two – skyscrapers, planned squares, everything aligned along geometric lines and a central park-packed avenue, with loads and loads of modern buildings and futuristic monuments and skyscrapers. Some of the most notable features are the Bayterek Tower, Khan Shatyr, Nur Astana Mosque, Presidental Palace, and more – all easily exploitable in 2-3 hours along the same avenue with some brisk walking around. The architecture is great but the city feels rather empty, glassy, cold, and soulless.
