For many centuries horse-riding peoples populated the steppes to the north of today’s Almaty and the green hills to the south, but the city itself – formerly known as ‘Alma-Ata’ – is not even 180 years old. Its initial development was closely linked to the expansion of the Russian Empire. Today Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis, a vibrant milieu where the encounter between different cultures is also reflected in the architecture.

Orthodox cathedrals and mosques, Soviet Neoclassicism and monumental mosaic art, Brutalism and brand-new skyscrapers: this book presents more than 100 buildings from the past and present. Author Edda Schlager has spent two decades in Almaty, covering the transformation of the city and the country as a journalist for international media. Critical essays by and interviews with local actors contribute to her broad, kaleidoscopic panorama of one of the most fascinating Central Asian metropolises.

Edda Schlager (b. 1972), Journalist and photographer. Lived in Almaty from 2005 to 2023, reporting on Central Asia for German and international newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV stations. Has a MA in geography. Author of Architekturführer Duschanbe, published (in German) by DOM publishers in 2017.