Saturday, November 1, 2014 Sunny 45 to 54 degrees F
Today was the first day of my second tour with Road Scholars which began in Almaty, Kazakhstan. During the previous tour, I traveled through the countries of the Caucasus Mountains: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The scope of this tour included the countries to the east of the Caspian Sea along The Silk Road, across the five ‘Stans: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. China is located just 100 kilometers east of Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Our first order of business was to assemble in a conference room to meet our group leader, Batir Shamakhsudov, who reviewed general information and gave us a broad view of the tour. He was kind, friendly and helpful.
Then all 25 of us boarded a large comfortable coach to our first destination: The State Central Museum. Photography was allowed in the great lobby but not in the galleries.
Ancient Kazakh Costumes
Golden Prince Warrior 3/4 Century BC
The local guide was a pleasant patient woman who told about the regions of Kazakhstan and the history of the country. We visited two galleries: one depicting the nomadic life of Kazakhs and the other was a collection of ancient gold artifacts. The ceiling of the lobby was built to remind visitors of the interior of a yurt which were still used in many parts of Kazakhstan.
Entrance Gallery of the State Museum
Then we visited the 3800 foot hill outside Almaty called Kok Tobe to see the Tien Chen Mountain Range. We were lucky to see the magnificent snow covered peaks south of the city. It was a clear day and the tall white mountains looked like clouds in the distance. There seemed to be perpetual smog in the Almaty valley.
Tien Chen Mountains Beyond the City of Almaty
Modern City of Almaty
Large Private Houses in the City
Tien Chen Mountains
We had a tasty Kazakh lunch in a local restaurant named Assorti:
Panfilov Park was next on the agenda with its candy-colored Russian Orthodox Zenkov Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1907 and is the second tallest wooden building in the world.
Zenkov Cathedral
State Building with Bridal Parties
Soviet Statue
We continued walking through the park to the Museum of Musical Instruments. We learned about Kazakh music and especially about the ‘dombra’ – a very popular instrument.
Museum of Musical Instruments
Our last stop for the day, before returning to the hotel, was the Green Market. It was similar to covered markets in this part of the world: spices, fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, household goods, clothing, etc. The Market was very clean and well organized and had good signs. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the building.
The Green Market
Busy Entrance to the Green Market
The Official Seal of Almaty, Kazakhstan
Historically, the snow leopard has symbolic meaning for the Turkic people of Central Asia and is widely used in heraldry and as an emblem for cities and groups of people.