Central Asia's Quiet Rise Starts in Almaty, Not Astana

Almaty stopped being Kazakhstan's capital in 1997, when the government relocated to what is now Astana, a planned city built largely from scratch on the northern steppe. The move was meant to shift the country's centre of gravity; instead it left Almaty free to keep being what it already was: Kazakhstan's cultural and financial hub, its largest city, and the one most visitors actually want to spend time in. That distinction has mattered more than usual over the past few years, as a broader wave of interest in Central Asia and the old Silk Road route has started showing up in travel conversations that, a decade ago, rarely mentioned the region at all.

A city built against its own mountains

Almaty sits directly beneath the Trans-Ili Alatau, part of the wider Tian Shan range, close enough that the peaks are visible from most of the city centre on a clear day. Medeu, often described as the world's highest-altitude Olympic-size skating rink, sits in a valley above the city at around 1,700 metres, with the Shymbulak ski resort a cable car ride further up the same mountainside, giving Almaty a genuine four-season outdoor scene that few Central Asian cities can match.

Panfilov Park and the wooden cathedral

Ascension Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox cathedral built in the early 1900s inside Panfilov Park, is among the tallest wooden buildings in the world and one of the few structures of its kind to survive the Soviet period intact, having served as a concert hall and museum rather than being demolished. Its brightly painted timber facade remains one of the more distinctive landmarks in a city otherwise shaped by Soviet-era apartment blocks and a fast-growing modern skyline.

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Why the region is having a moment

Kazakhstan has spent recent years easing entry for a wide range of nationalities and expanding air connectivity through Almaty and Astana, part of a broader regional push, echoed by neighbours including Uzbekistan, to draw travellers who might once have skipped Central Asia in favour of better-known routes through the Caucasus or the Gulf. Almaty's own mix of Soviet, Silk Road and rapidly modernising influences, plus mountain scenery within city limits, is a large part of why it tends to be the first stop on itineraries built around that renewed curiosity, rather than a place visitors merely pass through.

Traveller tips

• Visa requirements for Kazakhstan vary by nationality and change periodically; confirm current rules with official sources before booking.
• The Medeu-Shymbulak cable car run is one of the easier ways into the mountains without a full day trip; allow at least half a day for the return journey.
• Ascension Cathedral is a working church as well as a landmark; modest dress is appropriate for visitors stepping inside.
• Spring and autumn bring clearer mountain views and milder walking weather than Almaty's hot summers or cold winters.