ACityIndependent states
Astana
Kazakhstan's capital since 1997 — a city of modern architecture raised quickly on the steppe, symbolised by the Baiterek tower.
The capital moved from Almaty to Akmola on the Ishim river in 1997, and the city was renamed Astana in 1998. It was called Nur-Sultan in 2019–2022 before becoming Astana again. More than a million people live there today.
Its emblem is Baiterek, a 97-metre tower depicting the tree of life from Kazakh legend and the egg of the Samruk bird in its branches; its height recalls 1997, the year the capital moved. Norman Foster's Khan Shatyr and Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (the pyramid) and the Astana Grand Mosque are also famous.
Astana is home to the International Turkic Academy of the Organization of Turkic States and hosted the EXPO world exhibition in 2017.
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Updated: October 2, 2026