Things to do
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Bayterek
A white lattice tower holding a golden sphere, built as an emblem of the new capital and set at the centre of its ceremonial axis. A lift climbs to the observation deck, where a gilded handprint draws a queue and the city plan reads clearly in both directions. Evening lighting is the point for many visitors, and the deck is busiest then.
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Hazrat Sultan Mosque
Marble and blue tilework on the scale the steppe capital favours, this congregational mosque faces the national museum across the axis and holds thousands at prayer. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times, with covering provided at the door for those who need it. Interior domework and Kazakh ornament repay a slow circuit of the main hall.
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Khan Shatyr
Shaped like a nomad tent in cable and translucent film, this Foster-designed structure covers a shopping centre, an indoor beach and a small park under a single peak. The envelope holds summer warmth through a winter that runs far below freezing, which explains the January crowds. A monorail loops the upper floor above the shops.
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National Museum of Kazakhstan
Seven halls track the country from Saka gold and Bronze Age settlement through to independence, inside a marble block on the capital's main square. The Gold Hall and the ethnography rooms carry the collection, while the modern galleries lean towards statecraft. Plan on half a day, and check which halls are open, since sections close for events without much notice.
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Nur-Astana Mosque
Turquoise domes and four slender minarets mark the older of the capital's two grand mosques, a gift from Qatar that carried the city's Friday prayers before Hazrat Sultan opened. It remains in daily use and quieter than its successor, which makes it easier to visit between prayers. Shoes come off at the door and headscarves are lent inside.
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Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
A glass and steel pyramid raised for the congress of world religions, with an opera house sunk into its base and a meeting chamber under stained-glass doves at the apex. Tours run on a fixed schedule and access to the upper levels comes only with a guide. The building anchors the left bank beside the presidential palace.