Almaty-Nat-Hist

The building with the blue domes is the state Museum of Natural History, which is worth at least a day's visit and is well worth the entrance fee (about 20 U.S. cents). The displays run from prehistoric to modern times and include both "natural history" and cultural history.

The displays related to World War II (known as the "Great Patriotic War" in the Soviet Union) clearly depict the struggle and suffering in the Soviet Union during that war, even as far from the front lines as Kazakhstan. One might question the amount of space devoted to more recent events, but this is probably the only place one can find information on the anti-nuclear protests in Kazakhstan during the late 1980s. The protest movement was named in part "Nevada" to include protest against U.S. nuclear testing. These grassroots protests (marches, rallies, etc.) were supported by the public and tolerated by the Soviet government - but they were not publicized.
The tall buildings in the background are the "Samal" district - a relatively new residential complex with somewhat more style than the tradi-tional Soviet apartment building.
In the foreground are the gardens and fountains of the grounds surround-ing the government office building and the presidential office building - also known as the "White Palace". Since the capital has now moved to Astana, much of the office space has been transferred to the local Almaty-area government.


	The building with the blue domes is the state Museum of Natural History, which is worth at least a day's visit and is well worth the entrance fee (about 20 U.S. cents). The displays run from prehistoric to modern times and include both "natural history" and cultural history.
The displays related to World War II (known as the "Great Patriotic War" in the Soviet Union) clearly depict the struggle and suffering in the Soviet Union during that war, even as far from the front lines as Kazakhstan. One might question the amount of space devoted to more recent events, but this is probably the only place one can find information on the anti-nuclear protests in Kazakhstan during the late 1980s. The protest movement was named in part "Nevada" to include protest against U.S. nuclear testing. These grassroots protests (marches, rallies, etc.) were supported by the public and tolerated by the Soviet government - but they were not publicized. The tall buildings in the background are the "Samal" district - a relatively new residential complex with somewhat more style than the tradi-tional Soviet apartment building. In the foreground are the gardens and fountains of the grounds surround-ing the government office building and the presidential office building - also known as the "White Palace". Since the capital has now moved to Astana, much of the office space has been transferred to the local Almaty-area government.