Probably everyone dreams to go abroad at least once, to get acquainted with the material and spiritual culture of other nations. Students and teachers of the Faculty of History of BSU had a unique opportunity to visit the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Astana within the framework of the international summer historical school of 2018 “The Country of the Great Steppe and the Eurasian Space”.
We were able to visit a large number of exhibitions, museums, attractions, the program of the school had 3 round tables at which issues relating to the historical and cultural heritage of the great steppe, cooperation issues of faculties, etc. were discussed.
The history of the city of Astana is very short, since only in June 1998 the capital of Kazakhstan was transferred to this city as a symbol of its independence. It was then that began its active construction. In 2018, Astana celebrates its 20th anniversary. Despite such a short history, the development of the city takes place at an incredible pace. Astana is full of many beautiful, modern architectural structures. As part of the summer school, we visited places such as: The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is the largest museum in Central Asia. We also had the opportunity to visit the Akmola camp of the wives of traitors to the homeland (ALZHIR), where we touched history, learned about the fate of thousands of women, men, children of the entire Soviet Union who fell under repression. We visited EXPO 2017 (International Specialized Exhibition in Astana), held under the slogan “Energy of the Future”, where they demonstrated achievements and prospects in the use of renewable energy sources and their advantages. We visited Burabay (resort settlement Borovoe). Burabay is the “pearl of Kazakhstan”, the nature of which made an indelible impression on us.
Astana is rich in beautiful monuments and extraordinary buildings. This, of course, Baiterek is a symbol of Kazakhstan’s independence, the first building in place of the left bank of the new Astana. The residence of the leader of the nation - Nursultan Nazarbayev, the building of ministries, the pyramid, the huge high-rise buildings, monuments, magnificent mosques and much more - all this is a symbol of the welfare of the country, its uniqueness and originality. But the main wealth of the country are people, good-natured, sympathetic, who know and are proud of the history of their country, are the true patriots of their native land.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Buryat State University in the person of the rector N.I. Moshkin, the history department of the BSU under the leadership of Dean V. Nomogeva for the opportunity, for the experience we have learned from this trip. We are also grateful to the Eurasian National University. L.N. Gumilyov for a warm welcome, for the opportunity to penetrate the culture of the Kazakh people, to enrich themselves with new knowledge and to personally see all that so often flashes on TV screens and arouses great interest among millions of people. Thanks to the trip we have gained new friends with whom we will maintain warm relations and further cooperation.
A visit to Astana has left an indelible mark on our souls. We look forward to the opportunity in the future to visit Kazakhstan more than once.