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Sep 25, 2025
Almaty: The Garden City at the Foot of Mountains
At first glance, Almaty feels like a contradiction. It’s no longer the capital of Kazakhstan, yet it still carries the air of one. It’s modern and cosmopolitan, yet shaded with apple orchards and tree-lined boulevards. It’s a city of finance and commerce, but its greatest gift to visitors is silence, the kind you find at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains when the sun dips and the snow-peaks catch fire in evening light.