PART IX: CITIES AND TOWNS

Almaty (1)

As it is known from Chinese and Arabic old manuscripts there were some ancient Saks’ settlements on the territory of Almaty in 6-3 B.C. Archeologists have found there some reminders of early agricultural settlements of the Usuns, who lived in the first century A.D. According to the merchants of Genoa, during the 8th –10th centuries the ancient settlements of Almaty served as a station on the trade way from Europe to China. Then there came down a tornado caused by Genghis Khan.

Expanding its economic and political interests in the south direction, in 1854 Russia founded a “Zailiskoye” fortification in the location of today’s Almaty. It soon got the name of Verny and in 1867 received the status of a town. In 1921 the town of Verny was renamed into Alma-Ata. Since 1929 Alma-Ata has been the capital of Kazakhstan. In 1993 the city got its name ‘Almaty’ back as a result of independence gained by the Republic.

The city is located at the height of 700-900 m above the sea level, its territory is 250 sq. km, its population is 1.3 million. It has contradictory characteristics. Being situated in the zone of high seismic activity, the city experienced catastrophic earthquake in 1887 and 1910. In 1921 and 1977 it experienced mighty mountain mud-and-stone streams, coming down the rivers of Bolshaya Almatinka and Malaya Almatinka.

Thanks to Trans-lli Alatau covered with snow, Almaty is a real pearl of Kazakhstan. It is one of the centres of the international tourism and one of the most attractive cities in the Eurasian continent. More than 50 countries have their diplomatic representatives here.

As a result of great urbanization its beautiful appearance is often covered with dense smog. At the same time a lot of unique buildings and constructions notable for their architectural and aesthetical value have been built in the city. There are two five-star hotels and three four-star ones. The most important places of interest are the “Medeo ”Sport Complex, the “Chimbulak” alpine skiing Centre, the sanitary bathhouse “Almarasan”, various museums and theatres. Almaty is the seat of the National Academy of Sciences; many universities and higher educational establishments have been established there lately.

In 1995 in connection with the transfer of the capital to Akmola, Almaty got the particular status of political, financial, economic, scientific and cultural centre of the state.

Ø Answer the questions:

1. When were some ancient settlements of the Saks?

2. When did the town get its name Verny?

3. Since what time has Alma-Ata been the capital of Kazakhstan?

4. Where is the city situated?

5. What are the most important places of interest?

Almaty (2)

Almaty was once the capital of Kazakhstan but now it remains a capital in our hearts. It stands in the foothills of the Zailiisky Alatau Mountains. Almaty is the city of green parks and crowded avenues, buildings of peculiar architecture and original fountains. There are a lot of museums and cinemas. Theatres and modern hotels are there too.

Almaty is a young city. Contemporary architects are creating the appearance of the city. Ensembles of buildings and new housing blend in with the panorama of the mountains, parks, gardens and streets. If you want to have a look at the city from the top of the mountain, you may use a cableway. Skiing facilities and the ‘Medeo’ alpine skating rink are at your disposal almost all year round. ‘Medeo’ is not only a stadium. It is also snow-capped peaks sparkling in the sun, tall Tien-Shan fir trees, and mountain air coolness.

The city and its environs have harsh continental climate with temperatures varying greatly not only throughout the year but even in the course of a single day. Summer lasts from May to September, with an average temperature of +22° in July. Winter is short with average temperature of – 8° in January. Autumn here is warm and dry; spring comes early, almost overnight, but with recurrent cold spells. There is approximately 600 mm of precipitation annually, about the same as in Moscow. Since the city is located in a broad valley from three sides surrounded by high mountain ranges, windy days are a rarity in the city.

A non-stop flight from Almaty to Moscow lasts 4 hours. There are direct flights from Almaty to St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Kiev, Khabarovsk and to many other foreign cities and countries. Local time differs three hours from Moscow time and five hours from Central European time.

Almaty has recently become one of the main tourist attractions in the world.

KARAGHANDY (1)

A grand monument – two figures of miners, holding a lump of coal above their heads – is the symbol of Karaghandy. This stone made the basis of industrial complex here. Karaghandy region provided various parts of the former USSR and more than 50 countries of the world with over two thousand types of products. Karaghandy Metallurgical Complex, known as Kazakhstan Magnitka is the town’s glory. The multistory complexes of the town, the big tops of blast furnaces of Temirtau, a five hundred-kilometre ribbon of the Irtysh- Karaghandy canal are the result of creative work of the builders from this town. The town has got four institutes, a university, different secondary schools, over 50 secondary schools. There is a local Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan branch, a symphony orchestra, folk theatres and playhouses there.

Today the town experiences great difficulties in different spheres of life. The crisis of market economy has lead to stagnation and decrease of the leading industry in the area. For the past few years half of the enterprises in Temirtau and Karaghandy have stood fully or partially idle. The level of unemployment is high; the volume of production went down by 50%. The economic situation has forced the administration of the town to choose new methods of management.

In 1995 the government started to place insolvent enterprises like “Ispad Karmet” under the management of foreign firms. The managing companies have stopped the downfall of production and straightened up the financial position of the enterprises in the area. Another urgent measure was set up by the government to support state-run sector of economy. In 1996 a rehabilitation bank was instituted to effect measures on financial recovery of the industry. These measures have lead to the first signs of stabilization in the region. The volume of production of the plants has begun to grow gradually, the enterprises have started to pay the debts and salaries to the workers. Citizens of Karaghandy believe in the revival of their rich land and hope to overcome today’s difficulties.

Ø Finish the sentences:

1. Karaghandy Metallurgical Complex is known as ...

2. The crises of market economy ...

3. The level of unemployment is ...

4. Another urgent measure was ...

Karagandy (2)

Kazakhstan’s second biggest city, Karaghandy, some 200 km south-east of Astana and 1000 km northwest of Almaty, is famous for two things: coal and Gulag labour camps. The two are intimately connected, as the big network of camps around Karaghandy was set up to provide slave labour for the mines.

Founded in 1926, much of Karaghandy was built by Gulag labour. The nearby Samarka and Kengir camps were the centre of a famous revolt in 1954 – 700 prisoners were killed when tanks moved in to put it down.

Mining continues today, although on a much smaller scale, with a large portion of the coal feeding the Indian-financed steel works at Temirtau 25 km to the north.

Karaghandy is not a bad place to visit. The city centre is much cleaner than it once was when heavy industry was more prevalent, and there are avenues of trees and a large central park to provide greenery.

Ø True or False:

1. Karaghandy is the biggest city in Kazakhstan.

2. It is famous for coal and Gulag labour camps.

3. The city was founded in 1956.

5. It was built by prisoners.

6. Mining stops today.

7. The city is very dirty nowadays.

Kokshetau

Kokshetau means ‘blue mountains’ in Kazakh. At any time of the year mountains here are shrouded in blue haze. Kokshetau land is one of the most picturesque areas of the country. The western part of the region is crossed by the full-flowing Ishim River. There is a multitude of fresh and salty water lakes here. It makes it possible to build health resorts in this area. The most famous tourist and health centre is Borovoye.

From olden days the region was the cradle of many poets, composers, singers and writers. The akyn-improviser Birzhan Kozhamkulov (celebrated Birzhan-sal) was born and lived here pleasing his countrymen with his inimitable gift. It is the birthplace of Shokan Ualikhanov, the first Kazakh scientist, enlightener, geographer, traveler, writer and ethnographer of the 19 century.

The virgin lands development period was a powerful spur in the development of economy and culture of the region. In those years over 3 million hectares of land was turned up and nearly 50 industrial establishments put into operation. They included a textile and haberdashery mill, a chinaware factory, integrated ore-concentration factory and others. The country received different kinds of raw materials iron, ore, coal, dolomite, kaolin from the land of Koshetau.

New times that affected all the spheres of human activities have made noticeable advances in agriculture, the leading economic sector of the region. Today Kokshetau is the administrative and financial centre of the Akmolinskaya Oblast. The government and local authorities have implemented different programs stimulating the recovery of agricultural sector. The “Sary-Arka” international program sets the aim of creating a network of processing enterprises in the agro-industrial complex of the region. The “Agro” Republican Association and “SGA-system” American corporation elaborated a ten-year program aimed to support private agrarians, providing them with credits and technology.

Kazakhstan has always been one of the biggest producers of wheat. The task of Kokshetau region today is to return the glory and pride to their land and people. The first steps on this path are being done; the process of recovering is under way.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1418