Directions
Shymkent
If polls are anything to go by, and they definitely are, every Shymkent resident is confident that this is Kazakhstan’s best city to live in and visit as a traveler. And it is likely to be true.
The unbelievably sunny and hospitable Shymkent is sure to leave the best impressions. Being located on a stretch of the ancient Silk Road, Shymkent to this day is a bustling, trading, and savory oriental city. It is surrounded with steppes, but also has mountains, rivers, and ravines with cages in its vicinity.
It has got plenty of sacred and historically significant sites attracting travelers from around the globe. It’s going to take at least a week, or even longer to get to know its sightseeing attractions!
Popular places
River Koshkarata.
Visit the source of the River Koshkarata that in the olden days was not only a sacred place, but also the city’s most crucial waterway. There are dozens of cleanest springs coming out of the ground, with the water in the Koshkarata maintaining a steady temperature of +12 throughout the year. These days the quay area encompasses the main municipal beach, theme parks, and historic locations, for it is right here, at the springs that the sage Koshkar ata used to live, and the quay features a small mausoleum in his honor.
Go on a leisurely evening walk on the local Arbat.
It is here that you get to realize why the locals say that Shymkent is guarded by angels. Lit up patrons of the city are aloft above the Arbat, instilling confidence that the city is going to be ok. The Arbat is literally packed with small stores, coffee shops, or gift shops to fit every taste. The pathway itself is paved in the form of the country’s topographic map. Do not miss out on an opportunity to “visit” every region.
Have lunch at an oriental cuisine place.
Any. It’s great taste, variety of dishes, and affordable prices everywhere. Shymkent is well known for its unique gastronomical hotch-potch, with the local cuisine soaking up the culinary traditions of the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Russians, Koreans, Chechens, Tartar, and another several dozens of ethnicities, creating its own signature way of cooking.