Almaty

Almaty is Kazakhstan’s most populous city, home to over two million people. It sits in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, near the Kyrgyz border, at an elevation of 700 to 900 meters. The Big Almaty and Small Almaty rivers run through it. It is the second-largest city in Central Asia, after Tashkent, and the fourth-largest in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The city is classified as a city of republican significance.

Almaty served as Kazakhstan’s capital from 1929 to 1991, during the Soviet period, and then from independence until 1997, when the capital moved to Akmola (now Astana). From 1929 to 1936, as Alma-Ata, it was the capital of the Kazakh ASSR, and from 1936 to 1991, of the Kazakh SSR. After independence, it was renamed Almaty in 1993. Since the capital’s move, it has been called the “southern capital” and remains the country’s largest and most ethnically diverse city.

The name Almaty likely comes from the medieval settlement Almatau. One theory ties it to the Kazakh word for “apple” (алма), often translated as “full of apples.” Its former name, Alma-Ata, means “father of the apples.” The current name may be a plural form of a Turkic word for “father.” It appears as Almatu in the 16th-century Bāburnāma. The past name Almatau means “Apple Mountain.” The region west of the Tian Shan is thought to be the apple’s ancestral home, with wild apples showing genetic diversity. Nikolay Vavilov suggested Malus sieversii as a candidate ancestor of the modern domestic apple.

During the Bronze Age (c. 1000–900 BC), farmers and cattle-breeders settled the area. From 700 BC into the Christian era, Saka and later Wusun tribes lived there. Burial mounds and settlements, including giant Saka royal tumuli, remain. Famous finds include the “Golden Man” from the Issyk Kurgan, the Zhalauly treasure, the Kargaly diadem, and Zhetysu bronzes. During Saka and Wusun rule, Almaty became an early education center.

In the 12th century, the Qara Khitai ruled the region until the Mongol invasion in 1218. After Mongol rule ended, it was part of the Chagatai Khanate and later Moghulistan. The area was a key trade route between West and East, with cities like Taraz and Almaliq as major stops. Its importance declined in the 15th century due to Temür’s attacks and his shifting of trade routes south. Wars with Timur, the Bukhara Khanate, and the Kazakh Khanate weakened Moghul rule, and by the early 16th century, the Kazakhs controlled the region.

The Dzungars invaded and dominated the Kazakhs for a time. In 1730, the Kazakhs defeated the Dzungars at the Anyrakay mountains, 70 kilometers northwest of Almaty. The Senior Kazakh Horde (Uly Zhuz) held jurisdiction. During the 18th century, the area was near the Khanate of Kokand’s border. It was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 1850s.

To secure control, Russia built Fort Zailiyskoe between the Bolshaya and Malenkaya Almatinka rivers. Construction began on 4 February 1854 and was largely finished by autumn. The fort was a pentagonal wooden palisade, with one side along the Malaya Almatinka. It was soon renamed Fort Vernoe (“Loyal”). The palisade was later replaced with a brick wall with embrasures. Main facilities surrounded a central square for training and parades. In 1867, the settlement was reorganized as the town of Almatinsk, then renamed Verny before year’s end.

Almaty has hosted international events: the Alma-Ata Primary Healthcare Conference in 1978, the 2011 Asian Winter Games, and the 2017 Winter Universiade. It bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics but lost to Beijing. Since 2017, it has been a UNESCO Creative City of Music and is classified as a Gamma+ global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Landmarks include the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, Ascension Cathedral, Green Bazaar, the Arbat pedestrian area, and Kök Töbe, a hilltop recreation area with mountain views. Educational institutions include Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the Kazakh-British Technical University, the International Information Technology University, and Narxoz University.