History of Almaty

source: lyakhov.kz

Ancient history. The first settlements of early farmers and herders in the territory of the modern town appeared in the Bronze Age in the X-IX centuries BC.

In the VII century BC – till the boarderline AD, in an era of Saks, Almaty became the habitat of Saks and later Usunsk tribes. The Middle Ages were a time of urban culture development, transition to a settled way of life, development of agriculture and handicrafts, and the emergence of numerous urban settlements. In the X-XIV centuries, cities situated on the territory of "Greater Almaty" are becoming the centres of trade along the Great Silk Road.

In the XV-XVIII centuries in connection with the extinction of Great Silk Road, in the area occurred a degradation of urban life. However, exactly here emerged a distinctive culture Zhetysu. In these places, gravitating to the area of Almaty, the Kazakh state arose and Kazakh folk start to form.

Fort Verniy. In the eighteen fifties Kazakhstan was annexed by Russia and by the autumn of 1854, on the left bank of the river Malaya Almatinka, was completed the construction of military fortifications Zaili, with the following renaming it to the fort Faithful. In 1867, fortifying was renamed Faithful and the city becomes the capital of the newly formed Semirechenskaja area, which became the part of the Turkestan general-government.

From Soviet era to the present day. On the 5 of February, 1921 at the ceremonial meeting of regional committee of the party with the participation of the Soviet institutions, trade unions and representatives of Muslim communities Faithful City has been renamed to the town of Alma-Ata.

Restoring its historic name, which in many sources was translated as "father of apples", the city became the capital of Soviet Kazakhstan in 1927, and with the construction of Turkestan-Siberian railway, it gained important economic and strategic significance, which is further reinforced during the Second World War, when in the city were evacuated factories and enterprises from the western part of USSR, attacked by German army.

Following the industrial enterprises here have been evacuated a huge number of people of Slavic republics, and also deported a large population of ethnic Koreans from the Far East, hence today`s multi-ethnic city.

Southern capital of independent Kazahstan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1993, by the decision of the Government Alma-Ata was renamed to Almaty.

In 1997, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the capital was moved from Almaty to Astana.

On 1st of July, 1998 a law was passed on the special status of Almaty, which determined its fate as a scientific, cultural and financial centre of Kazakhstan.

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