Kazajistán45 (ocasionalmente escrito como Kazajstán6 o Kazakstán), oficialmente República de Kazajstán6 (en kazajo: Қазақстан; en ruso: Казахстан; en alemán: Kasachstan; en inglés: Kazakhstan), es un país transcontinental, con la mayor parte de su territorio situado en Asia Central y una menor (al oeste del río Ural) en Europa. Con una superficie de 2 724 900 km²,1 es el noveno país más grande del mundo, así como el estado sin litoral marítimo más extenso del mundo (considerando el mar Caspiocomo un lago). Kazajistán es uno de los seis Estados túrquicos independientes, junto a Turquía, Azerbaiyán, Kirguistán, Uzbekistány Turkmenistán; comparte fronteras con los tres últimos y con Rusia y China, a la vez que posee costas en el mar Caspio y el mar de Aral. La capital fue trasladada en 1997 de Almatý, la ciudad más poblada de Kazajistán, a Astaná. Kazajistán pertenece a la región natural denominada Asia Central, formada además, junto con Tayikistán, por tres de los países ya citados, Kirguistán, Uzbekistán y Turkmenistán.
La población kazaja tienen sus orígenes en los nomadas túrquicos y mongoles que emigraron a la región en el siglo XIII, en el XVI las tribus se unieron en una sola nación. Kazajistán fue conquistada por el Imperio Ruso y en 1936 pasó a formar parte de la Unión Soviética.
Durante los años 1950 y 1960, el gobierno Soviético puso en marcha un programa de agrícola conocido como «Tierras Vírgenes» en el que ciudadanos venidos de varios puntos del país se trasladaron a Asia Central para labrar la región norte. Esto produjo un influjo en la inmigración (la mayor parte de ellos rusos y de alemanes del Volga). Tras la independencia del país, parte de la población emigró a otros países.
A día de hoy Kazajistán es considerado un estado neopatrimonial caracterizado por su considerable nepotismo y dominio sobre temas políticos y económicos llevados a cabo por su Presidente Nursultan Nazarbayev. Sin embargo, no es un estado totalitario en contraste con Turkmenistán, Uzbekistán y China. Tras la caída de la Unión Soviética en 1991, el Gobierno Kazajo inició programas de desarrollo económico. Parte de su materia prima se encuentra en las reservas de gas y petróleo, sobre todo en el norte y oeste.
Seguir leyendo…
¿Qué hacer en Kazajistán?
VISADO
Con el pasaporte español no se necesita visado para entrar en el país. Sí es necesario registrarse en la OVIR (policía de migración), si la estancia en el país es mayor a cinco días.
+- 6.595 km 1.378.217km²
Mediados abril-junio
- La estepa y las colinas florecen y las aves migratorias llegan en masa.
Mayo y septiembre
- Clima ideal; en julio arranca la temporada de senderismo.
Noviembre-abril
- Los esquiadores tienen las mejores instalaciones del centro de Asia en Chimbulak.
En verano creo que es época de lluvia en Kazajistán, así que he de vigilar con las carreteras. Supongo que lloverá también en los otros países de Asia Central.
- ESCRITORES
Abay, icono cultural
Nacido en las colinas del Shyngystau, al sur de Semey, el escritor, traductor y educador Abay (Ibrahim) Kunanbaev (1845-1904) estudió en una madraza y una escuela rusa.
Posteriormente, sus traducciones de obras literarias rusas y extranjeras al kazajo, sus lecturas públicas y su propia obra, como la filosófica Cuarenta y una palabras negras, fueron el comienzo del kazajo como lengua literaria y ayudó a ampliar sus horizontes.
Abay valoraba las tradiciones kazajas, pero también era pro-ruso. “Estudiar la cultura y arte rusos es la clave de la vida” escribió. En la era soviética su reputación tenía el respaldo de Moscú, y sus escritos rusófilos eran idolatrados. Hoy sigue siendo el icono cultural más destacado.
De acuerdo con la Resolución el Gobierno de la República de Kazajistán de 23 de diciembre de 2016 N 848, a partir del 1 de enero de 2017 ciudadanos de 45 estados extranjeros entre Reino de España, tendrán derecho a entrar en el territorio de la República de Kazajstán sin visado, si el período de su estancia no exceda de treinta (30) días a contar desde el momento de cruzar la frontera del Estado la República de Kazajstán.
Al solicitar una extensión de la estancia en el territorio de la República de Kazajstán más de treinta días naturales con los objetivos del negocio, los órganos de asuntos internos de la República de Kazajstán expedirán visados de una entrada de la categoría «negocio» por un período de hasta treinta días naturales.
Kazajistán tiene un conjunto diverso de reglas de visado para los titulares de pasaportes de diferentes naciones: sin visado, entrada única, entrada múltiple, visa solo con una carta de invitación.
Importante: al ingresar al país por tierra o mar y permanecer más de 5 días, es posible que deba registrarse dentro de los 5 días en la Policía de Migración . Recibirá una tarjeta de registro a la entrada, que debe completar, sellar y conservar durante toda su estancía.
E-visa El gobierno kazajo ha anunciado un sistema de visa electrónica para julio de 2018 . Esa fecha límite ha pasado, y no hay más información disponible hasta el momento.
Visado de Turista. Si no puede visitar sin visa, deberá obtener una visa de turista en una embajada kazaja. Desde 2017, la mayoría de las embajadas solo aceptan solicitudes de residentes del país en el que se encuentran.
Si no tiene una embajada kazaja en su país, averigüe qué embajada es responsable de su nacionalidad u obtenga un visado a su llegada .
Embajada de Kazajistán en España
Tipos de Visa
Los tipos de visa de turista se han simplificado desde 2017. Solo quedan 2 tipos: entrada única y entrada múltiple.
Sola entrada
- Duración de la visa: 90 días
- Período de estadía dentro de esos 90 días: 30 días
- Cantidad de entradas: 1
- Costo: 20-50 $
Entrada multiple
- Duración de la visa: 90 días
- Período de estadía: 30 días máximo para cada entrada
- Número de entradas: ilimitado
- Costo: 200 $
Los 90 días comienzan desde la fecha en que completa el formulario, no desde la fecha en que recibe la visa. Que quede claro: con una visa de entrada múltiple, solo puede permanecer 30 días en el país para cada entrada. Sin embargo, se le permite regresar el mismo día después de la ejecución de una visa.
Una visa de grupo es una posibilidad para grupos de turistas que viajan juntos. Lo más importante es que necesitan ingresar y salir juntos del país. No sabemos el tamaño mínimo del grupo.
Conforme a la legislación de Kazajistán, las Fiestas Nacionales son días no laborables.
Las Fiestas Nacionales de la República de Kazajstán son:
1-2de Enero – La Fiesta del Nuevo Año
8 de Marzo – La Fiesta del Día Internacional de Mujeres
21-23 de Marzo – La Fiesta de Nauryz Meiramy
1 de Mayo – La Fiesta de Unidad del Pueblo de Kazajstán
9 de Mayo – La Fiesta del Día de Victoria
6 de Julio – La Fiesta del Día de la Capital
30 de Agosto – La Fiesta del Día de la Constitución
16-17 de Diciembre – La Fiesta del Día de la Independencia
99 Top Experiences in Kazakhstan
- Climb Baiterek and look out over booming Astana
- Go shopping at the Green Bazaar in Almaty
- Get invited for a dastarkhan and sample homemade kurd, kumys and baursak
- Go eagle hunting in winter
- See millions of birds during their migration on Lake Balkhash
- Go nuts in Khan Shatyr, Astana’s entertainment bonanza
- Kayak Ili river and see the fake Silk Road movie set
- Talk to the mysterious balbal guarding the steppes of Central Kazakhstan
- Take a ferry boat across the Caspian
- Go ice fishing
- Experience the full glory of the Altai mountains by foot, horse, ski, bicycle or 4WD
- Ride a horse across the steppe or through the mountains
- Party till dawn with hipsters and rich kids, mafiosi and new arrivals in Almaty’s diverse nightlife
- Hike in the mountains around Almaty
- See kulan in Altyn Emel National Park, let the sand dune sing, and watch the Aktau and Katutau mountains shift colours as the sun sets.
- Find Bronze Age remnants in Central Kazakhstan at the Kent mountains
- See the Aral Sea surviving against all odds, or drive over its death bed at Aralsk
- See Scythian burial mounds in Esik and visit the lovely mountain lake
- Climb Khan Tengri
- Have your future predicted by a fortuneteller or get pagan with a shaman
- Dance in the tulip fields of Aksu-Zhabagly until you spot a bear
- Hit rock bottom in the lowest point of the former Soviet Union – the Karagiye Depression – and hunt for fossils
- Roll the Devil’s Balls in Western Kazakhstan, then survey the empty salt fields from the lonely Bozzhira tract
- See flamingos fly in Korgalzhyn
- Snap seals on the Caspian shore
- Eat Kazakhstan’s traditional food: beshbarmak, kurdak and kazy
- Milk a mare, then shave a camel
- Learn about the KarLag, the Kazakh gulag, in the museum of Dolinka
- Sunbathe on the beach of Bayanaul
- Go on a botanical expedition and hunt for tulips, rare desert plants, or yet to be described flowers in Altai
- Get out of Astana and smell the pine tree freshness of Burabay
- Picknick on Big Almaty Lake and take in a falconry show on the way back
- Surprise a snow leopard
- Angle for the giant taimen on Lake Zaysan
- Visit Charyn Canyon from every angle and hike through it
- Go on a pilgrimage to Beket-Ata
- A different kind of pilgrimage: shop for luxury brands at Esentai Mall
- Spot as many birds as possible from more than 500 species in Kazakhstan, at UNESCO heritage Naurzum national park
- Go ice-skating on the world’s highest skating rink Medeu
- Watch an ice-hockey match in NHL breeding ground Ust-Kamenogorsk
- Visit Astana’s aquarium and see fish 3.000 km removed from the ocean.
- Get shocked by the nuclear destruction at the Semipalatinsk Test Site
- Hunt for Cold War artefacts in Priozersk, and discover ghost towns and abandoned military installations across the country
- Rock out during a concert of Kairat Nurtas, the nation’s most popular singer
- Raft a river
- Watch a space launch in Baikonur
- Take a train and watch the earth roll by for a long, long time
- Witness the embattled saiga in Ural, Ust-Yurt or Betpak-Dala semi-deserts
- Attend a traditional Dungan wedding
- Marvel at the petroglyphs of Tamgaly
- Climb the Ustyurt plateau and find the last of the vanishing moufflon
- Discover the amazing pyramid of the Aktolagai plateau
- Go skiing: slalom the slopes of a ski resort or freeride down the untouched backcountry powder
- Cycle with Aleksander Vinokourov during one of Almaty’s cycle events
- Learn all about the nation’s only president in his museum in Astana
- Stand in awe of the steelworks of Temirtau or the mining heritage of Ekibastuz
- Go to the end of the road in Zhezkazgan
- Eat Korean food from the nation’s 100.000 koryo-saram
- Get pampered at Almaty’s Arasan baths
- Take in traditional music with a concert at the Folk Instruments Museum
- Buy a piece of handcrafted woodcarving or felt making.
- Take a helicopter ride over the Ili-Alatau mountains
- Visit abandoned oil fields, bitumen lakes and mines of all kind
- Meet Uyghurs and have a real Uyghur meal in the region east of Almaty
- Dip into each of the Kolsai lakes as you hike to the top
- See the sunken forest of Lake Kaindy
- Go on a (long) tour of curious mosques and unusual spiritual sites
- Stay in a yurt and discover Kazakh customs in the village of Myktykol or Shabambai Bi
- Link up the various sites bearing witness to Southern Kazakhstan’s medieval history, from Aisha Bibi to the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
- Wander through the modern architecture of Astana and its Expo 2017 village
- Meet a member of each of Kazakhstan’s 100+ minorities
- Listen to an old woman’s tales of Soviet times
- Visit the land of milk and honey tucked away in the Dzhungarian Alatau
- Hang out with the guys and sample Kazakh vodka, beer, dried fish and chechil
- Find peace, spirituality and absolute silence in Bektau Ata and the Bugyly mountains
- Learn Kazakhstan’s history at Almaty’s History Museum, then admire the nation’s art in the Kasteyev museum
- Climb Mount Belukha and look for Shambala
- Find peace on the other side of Lake Markakol
- Camp in the desert and count the stars
- Stay up late in the village and hear the wolves howl
- Check out historic Semey, with its surprising array of interesting museums
- Check out historic Uralsk as well.
- Enjoy the splendid apple harvest of Almaty’s famous aport wandering the hilly green dacha regions of the city
- See the destruction Genghis Khan left behind in once-thriving Otrar
- Lick a Soviet-style ice cream and hang out near the wooden cathedral in Panfilov Park
- Mountainbike the Assy plateau and come down along the waterfalls of Turgen Gorge
- Paraglide over Ush Konyr
- Visit the biggest farm in the world in the former Virgin Lands
- Drink kymis (fermented mare’s milk), then wash it down with shubat (fermented camel milk)
- Visit the atmospheric ruins of Sauran or the newly discovered ruins at Altynkazgan.
- Hunt for Soviet mosaics and Lenin statues in the backstreets of Kazakhstan’s industrial cities
- Drive a 1960’s Zhiguly
- Motorbike through the Taukum and the Kyzylkum deserts
- Visit the heart of Kazakhstan at Ulytau, smell the steppe and eat the best lamb meat
- Become a mineral geek and hunt down 100s of geological oddities
- Learn to play the dombra and accompany an aitys battle
- Wrestle someone from Kyzyl-Orda
- Celebrate Nauryz with a game of Kokpar
- Mix with creatives and glitterati at Kazakhstan Fashion Week
- Challenge a brainiac to a game of Toguz Kumalak.
5 Books About Kazakhstan Actually Worth Reading
Kazakhstan is a new country, and few books of interest to the general audience have so far been written about it in English. Too bad, since there is a lot to say. I have highlighted 5 books that I recommend for the traveler who wants to understand Kazakhstan better before or after her visit. Below these, I gathered up the best of the rest: propaganda, photography books and novels set in Kazakhstan.
Good travelogues and historical and political overviews of Central Asia that include Kazakhstan can be found in the Central Asia books section.
Table of Contents
- Best books about Kazakhstan
- 1. The Silent Steppe: the Story of a Kazakh Nomad under Stalin – Mukhamet Shayakhmetov
- 2. The day lasts more than a hundred years – Chingiz Aitmatov
- 3. Book of Words – Abai
- 4. Once in Kazakhstan: The Snow Leopard Emerges – Keith Rosten
- 5. The Nomads – Ilyas Esenberlin
- Propaganda
- Apples are from Kazakhstan (The Land that Disappeared) – Christopher Robbins
- Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan – Jonathan Aitken
- Coffee table books
- The Soul of Kazakhstan – Alma Kunanbay and Wayne Eastep
- Nomads and Networks – Soren Stark
- Novels
- Zahir – Paolo Coelho
- Performance Anomalies – Victor Robert Lee
- The keeper of Antiquities – Yuri Dumbrovsky
- Guidebooks
- Bradt guide to Kazakhstan – Paul Brummell
- Odyssey guide to Kazakhstan – Dagmar Schreiber
Best books about Kazakhstan
1. The Silent Steppe: the Story of a Kazakh Nomad under Stalin – Mukhamet Shayakhmetov
If you read just 1 book about Kazakhstan, let it be this one. While the devastating famine in Ukraine is fairly well-known, the death and displacement of millions of Kazakhs in the same period of Stalin’s reign is almost forgotten in the West. This first-hand account of a survivor tells the story of the sad, starved end to the nomadic lifestyle of Kazakhs.
Like a Kazakh “Wild Swans”, Shayakhmetov has written an exceptionally dignified and balanced account of the incredible hardships the Kazakh people had to endure in the 1930’s and ’40’s. You will learn not only about the tragic history of the land, but also about the age-old way of life of Kazakhs before it was destroyed by Soviet Russia. No other writer comes close to Shayakhmetov in describing the Kazakh way without undue romance or exaggerated venom. The Silent Steppe will make you understand how Kazakh traditions still linger on in contemporary life.
On top of that, the story of little Mukhamet is an inspiring tale of survival against the odds, ready for a Hollywood make-over. You are guaranteed to understand Kazakhstan better after this read.
2. The day lasts more than a hundred years – Chingiz Aitmatov
By revered Kyrgyz novelist Chingiz Aitmatov, The day lasts more than a hundred years is the greatest novel ever written set in Kazakhstan. It is at once a description of Kazakh culture and the hard life in the steppes, a crushing indictment of Soviet policy, a science-fiction story, and a book that makes you think about life.
The day lasts more than a hundred years on Amazon
3. Book of Words – Abai
In his main work, Kazakhstan’s national poet Abai describes the Kazakh people and their ways. and encourages them to look for a higher moral ground. More than 100 years later, the national character has not changed, and Abai’s Words are still the reference if you want to learn more about why Kazakhs are the way they are.
4. Once in Kazakhstan: The Snow Leopard Emerges – Keith Rosten
Once in Kazakhstan tells the often unbelievable story of the first moments of Kazakhstan’s independence. Doubling as a crash course on how to start a country, the book is filled with amusing, fascinating, as well as dark and sad anecdotes of that crazy time in Kazakhstan’s history, when everything not only felt possible, but was.
Once in Kazakhstan: The Snow Leopard Emerges on Amazon
5. The Nomads – Ilyas Esenberlin
A big, heavy 3-volume book that tells the complete history of the Kazakh khanates. I don’t really recommend this book for a first-time visitor. If however you are truly gripped by Kazakhstan and have read the 4 books above, The Nomads is a good investment. Looks good in any modern apartment in Astana.
Only available in bookstores in Kazakhstan.
Propaganda
Apples are from Kazakhstan (The Land that Disappeared) – Christopher Robbins
A brilliant piece of propaganda. Since it is the most popular book about Kazakhstan, I have to include it in my list.
The author spends his time in Kazakhstan talking to rich businessmen and other powerful men. Apparently, it is all going great. The Soviet past was terrible, though, but now that Kazakh men are in charge (women are only interviewed as wives and daughters of, or feature as sad strippers, elegantly dressed granddaughters or angry receptionists. Poor people get no mention at all) things are going great!
A lot of pages are dedicated to the president: he gets to tell how he saved Kazakhstan on numerous occasions. In general, Nazarbayev comes off better than Jesus in the Bible. Robbins interviews critical journalists about the president, but even they cannot find anything critical to say!
The brilliance of the book lies in the writing. It’s very well-written, and Robbins juxtaposes his adventures with the boys with stories of the forced visits to Kazakhstan by Panfilov, Trotsky, Dostoyevski, Solzhenitsyn and others, as well as meetings with an archaeologist, a wolf hunter and a John Lennon impersonator.
Unlike me, most people love this book. It’s well researched, and a good introduction to Kazakhstan for those who, like the author, start off knowing nothing at all about Kazakhstan. It is sadly disfigured by the necessity to prop up the president and his boys.
Was Robbins paid to write this book? I hope so. Otherwise it is an embarassment.
Apples are from Kazakhstan on Amazon
Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan – Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan Aitken is a buddy of president Nazarbayev, and this book presents another glowing portrayal of Kazakhstan’s one and only president. Nonetheless, to understand Kazakhstan today you need to know Nazarbayev, and Aitken has a lot of first-hand information about the man you will not find elsewhere. For those with an interest in politics and an underdeveloped gag reflex.
Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan on Amazon
Coffee table books
The Soul of Kazakhstan – Alma Kunanbay and Wayne Eastep
There’s a bunch of photo books on Kazakhstan. I find the best one The Soul of Kazakhstan by Alma Kunanbay and Wayne Eastep. With evocative, artful pictures and a text that brings to life Kazakhstan’s culture and traditions, this book works well as a gift and outranks anything you can find in a book shop in Kazakhstan.
The Soul of Kazakhstan on Amazon
Nomads and Networks – Soren Stark
Also worthwhile as a coffee table book for those with an interest in ancient history and/or the Altai region (small crowd, I admit!). Accompanying a groundbreaking exhibition in the Smithsonian, the book traces the sophisticated culture of the Scythians and their neighbours living in Kazakhstan around 2000 years ago.
Novels
Kazakhstan has inspired some of the most depressing books in Russian literature (not an easy feat). One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich was based on Solzhenitsyn’s time in a labour camp in Ekibastuz, while Dostoyevski started The House of the Dead in Semey. Alexander Chudakov won awards with A Gloom Is Cast Upon the Ancient Steps (untranslated thus far), which takes place in a fictional town in Kazakhstan and describes life under Stalinist Russia. All brilliant books, but not included here since Kazakhstan is really just a faint backdrop to the story.
Zahir – Paolo Coelho
If you are a fan of Paolo Coelho and are planning a trip to Kazakhstan, Zahir will give you a taste for the empty steppes. Easy to read with a clear message, Zahir is good for those long train rides through the endless green flatlands of Kazakhstan. If you are not a fan of Paolo Coelho, you know what to do.
Performance Anomalies – Victor Robert Lee
A thriller set in Almaty? Yes, it works! The plot is original, with modern, plausible geopolitical strands woven into a fictional story about a man with exceptional senses. The writing is good, the plot pushes forward at pace and there is a good sense of place here: the author describes Kazakhstan well.
Performance Anomalies on Amazon
The keeper of Antiquities – Yuri Dumbrovsky
Brilliantly intricate psychological novel set in Almaty, dealing with the insidiousness of the Soviet purges in the 1930’s. One of the great modern novels to come out of Russia in the past 20 years according to the critics, it’s good to know a bit of Soviet history before attacking this one.
The keeper of Antiquities – Yuri Dumbrovsky
Guidebooks
Bradt guide to Kazakhstan – Paul Brummell
The Bradt guide is thoroughly researched and covers almost all interesting places in Kazakhstan. It is well-written by the original author, and is invaluable to anyone planning to travel Kazakhstan for more than a week or 2.
The 2nd edition is quite poor in its updates, though. Mistakes from the first edition have been copied into the 2nd edition, and interesting places that were skipped before have not been included. Only Almaty and Astana seem to have had a substantial update, but seeing the rate of change in these cities, many of the recommendations are already outdated. Despite this, still a very good guidebook, and the best choice for practical information for a deep exploration of Kazakhstan. Last update 2012.
Bradt guide to Kazakhstan on Amazon
Odyssey guide to Kazakhstan – Dagmar Schreiber
Odyssey gives more room for Kazakhstan, offering more background than Bradt. This book is very outdated and lacks in practical information, but it is invaluable for those who have been to all the places the Bradt guide covers and need more. Schreiber has been everywhere and offers background and inspiration on topics and places not covered in the Bradt guide. Latest edition 2010.