Kazakhstan

Places in this region

Khan Shatyr

Entertainment Center in a Huge Transparent Tent

The new Kazakh capital city of Astana is dotted with remarkable pieces of modern architecture, of which Khan Shatyr is the crowning jewel. A huge transparent tent, 150 m high and covering 140,000... »

Architectural Oddities | Edited by Tawsam and atimian

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

Iconic pyramid from famed British architect Norman Foster designed to represent all of the world's religious faiths

Built between 2004 and 2006 in Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (also known as the Palace of Peace and Accord) is one of the world's most impressive... »

Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by Nicholas Jackson

Baikonur Cosmodrome

World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site

"Dear friends, known and unknown to me, my dear compatriots and all people of the world! Within minutes from now, a mighty Soviet rocket will boost my ship into the vastness of outer space. What I... »

Strange Science, Instruments of Science, Retro-Tech | Edited by Trevor and Dylan

Aral Sea

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be

A man made environmental disaster has left a once-great sea dry, the land polluted, and the locals inundated with disease. The destruction of the Aral Sea is a strange legacy of the US Civil... »

Watery Wonders, Ghost Towns, Disaster Areas, Long Now Locations | Edited by Annetta, Dylan and others