Every year, on July 6, the people of Kazakhstan celebrate the Day of the Capital City. This date was determined as per a decree of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan on transfer of the capital city from Almaty to Akmola. The idea on the transfer of the capital was initiated to the First President of the country Nursultan Nazarbayev.
An appropriate resolution of the Government was signed on July 6, 1996. On December 10, 1997, Akmola was declared the capital city of Kazakhstan. In less than a year Akmola was renamed as Astana and in 2019 the city was renamed as Nur-Sultan, in honor of the First President of Kazakhstan.
The transfer of the capital city became a turning point in the history of sovereign Kazakhstan.
«Our capital city is a bright embodiment of Kazakhstan’s achievements. The landmark decision of the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the transfer of the capital city is of great historical importance for our nation. Thanks to his will and determination, a large political, economic, cultural and educational centre appeared in the heart of Eurasia,» Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said congratulating Kazakhstanis in 2019, the year of his election to the post of the country’s President.
The need to move the capital of Kazakhstan is explained by a whole range of geopolitical, economic, social and other reasons.
As the First President noted, the regional center Akmola was well located in the very center of the Eurasian continent, at the crossroads of the East and West, South and North.
Railroads and highways from Siberia to Central Asia, from China to Europe passed through Akmola. It is no coincidence that the young capital of Kazakhstan so quickly turned into a major regional political, economic, cultural, educational and medical center, and also became the venue for major international forums, including the Summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Immediately after the transfer of the capital, huge work began on the reconstruction of the existing buildings and construction of new ones. Together with the revival of economy as a result of increased hydrocarbon production, the construction of a new capital gave a powerful impetus to the development of the construction industry, enabled to create new jobs and improve the lives of people not only in the capital, but throughout the country.
Kazakhstan made great efforts to solve an ambitious task – to create a new, world-class city, capable of becoming both an engine in the country’s economic development and a symbol of aspiration for success.
In 1999, the city was awarded the medal and the title of the City of Peace by UNESCO
On this day, various cultural events, sports competitions are organized, videos and films about the capital of Kazakhstan are shot. The celebration of the Day of Capital City is becoming more interesting and exciting every year. This day has already become a national holiday. It contributes to further strengthening of the national spirit, to the revival of the cultural heritage of the people of Kazakhstan.
-Kabar