Almaty is a city not only for entertainment; it’s also for cultural pastime. In this case, the city offers a lot of entertainment that can surprise every visitor and resident. In addition, Almaty is well known as one of the historical places of Kazakhstan, because the main settlement in its place was founded in the Bronze Age. At the same time, the number of cultural places, such as museums and theaters, is diverse.
The museum is the cultural wealth of the nation, and thanks to its function and unique position, it has become the cultural consciousness of the nation. There are several museums and other cultural places full of historical and cultural atmosphere in Almaty: the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, the Central State Museum, the Abai Opera House, the Kazakhstan Museum of Arts, the M. Auezov House Museum and the Museum of Archeology.
1. The Museum of Folk Musical Instruments named after Ykylas
The Museum of Folk Musical Instruments is the best place to visit if you love everything related to the music. Here visitors can learn more about the collection of ancient folk musical instruments, which are unique and rare. Moreover, this place also offers live musical performances by the folk music group Turan, which makes the museum absolutely unusual!
The design of this place is impressive, because it is a wooden building constructed in 1908. Here you can find some traditional Kazakh instruments such as bagpipes, wooden harps and horns.
2. Central State Museum of Kazakhstan
This museum is considered the best museum in Almaty and the largest in Central Asia. Three floors of the museum, filled with exhibition galleries and 4 exhibition halls, will guide visitors through the history of Kazakhstan from the Bronze Age to 1997, when Almaty was no longer the capital. After spending time here, you can get acquainted with the history of Kazakhstan from the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century. The total collection of the museum has about 300 thousand pieces of monuments.
3. Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Abai
This building with a capacity of 793 seats is now considered one of the most famous sights of Almaty. The Abai Opera and Ballet Theater was built in 1934 and named after the Kazakh poet, composer and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev. The reasons for visiting this building are diverse: different performances, from ballets and classical music concerts to modern dance performances.
4. The State Museum of art named after A. Kasteev
Another interesting museum in Almaty is the Art Museum, which is the largest in Kazakhstan. This place allows its visitors to get acquainted with the best collection of works of art in Kazakhstan, with Kazakh, Russian and Western European art. In addition, there is a room of modern Kazakh crafts of the highest class. And also, you can get acquainted with the ethnographic hall, which presents all kinds of art of Kazakhstan, jewelry and its collection of national carpets. The doors of this museum are always open to visitors to help them feel the Kazakh culture on a deeper level.
5. Mukhtar Auezov House Museum
Mukhtar Omarkhanovich Auezov was a Kazakh writer, public figure, Doctor of Philology and Honored Scientist of the Soviet Union. To learn more about the history of any nation, a person should get acquainted with its historical personage, and M. Auezov is one of the prime examples. The museum of the famous and beloved Kazakh writer M. Auezov gives a good idea of how Soviet society was built in Kazakhstan. In addition, this place is part of Auezov’s private house, where he spent the last 10 years of his life.
6. Archaeological Museum of the Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan
Since Kazakhstan is full of historical regions, the range of interesting and ancient places to visit is diverse. The Archaeological Museum is considered one of the most popular places for tourists and locals. The museum consists of 4 halls with exhibits of wild local animals and skeletons, as well as an exhibit of rare/old books and Kazakh history. In addition, there are many things from the early centuries: coins, ceramics, armor, tools, etc.
7. Museum of the History of Almaty
The Almaty Museum, founded back in 2001, is a developed and cultural scientific center representing a wide range of historical and cultural heritage of the Zhetysu district of Almaty. The collections of such a large museum number about 35 thousand exhibits. Among the huge number of works, there are unique collections of Kazakh ethnography, ethnography of representatives of peoples currently living in Almaty, as well as collections of household objects belonging to various cultures, photographs and documents. In addition, in the museum you can get acquainted with the clothes worn by the nomads, and also their combat helmets, weapons and other things. The museum offers its visitors a description of the exhibition copies in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English.
8. Kazakh State Academic Drama Theater named after M. O. Auezov
The M.O. Auezov Theater, which houses a large auditorium with 1,000 seats, is known as one of the most visited attractions in Almaty. The exterior and interior of the building are designed with regular lines, on which the surfaces are decorated in a traditional style. A series of identical columns emphasizes the main facade and makes it solemn and grand as opposed other buildings around it. Right in front of the theater there is a monument to Mukhtar Auezov, which was installed in 1980. It depicts a figure resembling Auezov, sitting in an armchair, and absorbed in his thoughts. M. Auezov became best known for “The Way of Abay”. “The Way of Abay” is a great work of world literature of the last century, therefore M.O. Auezov is a very respected person, both in Kazakhstan and abroad.
9. Kazakh State Philharmonic named after Zhambyl
For many years, this Philharmonic has been known as the cultural center of the metropolis, where the repertoire offers a wide range of musical art. The Philharmonic collective is full of innovative and creative talents of the stage with world-famous names. This place attracts with its variety: traditional folk songs, popular works, poems, oratorios, suites and cantatas. The Philharmonic opens its doors for relaxation of body and soul.
10. Palace of the Republic
This is a concert hall building designed for performances, festivals and other cultural events. The Palace of the Republic is one of the main famous sights of Almaty of the Kunaev era. Previously, it was called the Lenin Palace of Culture, but then on December 6, 1991, at the suggestion of the State Committee for Culture of the Kazakh SSR, it was renamed. The palace is located next to Abai Square and the monument of Abai Kunanbayev, which makes this place much more popular and memorable.
