the.com/almaty
kazakhstan's capital that got demoted but never got the memo.
means a mountain-ringed city in southeastern kazakhstan, the country's largest and its former capital, still its cultural and financial heart.
from from the kazakh alma, meaning apple, plus the suffix ty meaning full of — literally full of apples, a nod to the wild apple forests once native to the region.
apple origin theoryscientists say all domestic apples descend from here
capital until 1997astana took over, city kept the money
earthquake cityrebuilt repeatedly after major quakes in 1887 and 1911
altitude sport hubmedeu ice rink sits 1691 meters up in the mountains
for instance
medeu skating rink — highest-altitude olympic rink, host to over 200 world records
kok tobe hill — cable car funicular overlooking the city since 1967
panfilov park — memorial to 28 soviet soldiers who died defending moscow in 1941
green bazaar — century-old market still trading kazakh dried fruit and horsemeat