Atyrau Hotel

Tenge rates:	Atyrau weather:
USD147.72 EUR187.46 RUB4.71	Today(20 May): 29 Tomorrow: 31

Atyrau is a city at the junction of two civilizations – East and West, a city on Ural river, Kazakhstani capital of oil and caviar. Atyrau region is the most western in Kazakhstan. This is an amazing land of contrasts, where steppe meets the sea, deserts meet oases and scorching heat – a coolness of mighty rivers.

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History

A settlement called the Ust-Yaitsky fort was built by a merchant from Yaroslavl Gury Nazarov in the estuary of Yaik river in 1640. The city’s name originated from his name. The founder’s children pioneered an industrial development of fish resources of Yaik and oil reserves of Emba. The Guriyev family achieved a monopoly on sturgeon fishing in Ural estuary in return for supply of caviar to the royal family and an obligation to build a town fortification.

Historically, the river divided the city into two parts: a "European" or "Samara" and "Asian" or "Bukhara", thinly populated before. First, the city was growing largely on the Samara side. The city’s rapid growth started in the 1930s with the construction of canned fish factory and the factory’s residential area – Balykshi. During the Great Patriotic War several plants were evacuated to Atyrau. Then a refinery plant GNPZ was built. All of these companies settled on the opposite side of the city – Bukhara. In the mid-1960s a major bridge was built. In the middle of it a memorial sign on the border between Europe and Asia was set. Now, in Atyrau, people can be simultaneously in two parts of the world.

With the construction of Guriev-Astrakhan railway a railway bridge across the Ural river was built. This way gave the shortest route from the south of Central Asia (Dushanbe, Termez, Bukhara, Chardzhou) and Mangyshlak peninsula to the European part of the country. Now Atyrau is a city of eight bridges, one of which is a pedestrian bridge listed in the “Guinness Book of Records” as the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Guriev had been a regional center of the vast territory of western Kazakhstan bordering on Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. With exploitation of natural resources of the Mangyshlak peninsula (oil, gas, uranium ore) and the construction of Aktau city Guriev and Mangistau regions were separated.

In 1992 the city was renamed to Atyrau. In 1999, during a widely celebrated 100th anniversary of Kazakhstan's oil, Atyrau city was first time named and continued as "oil capital" of Kazakhstan.

Population: 231 thousand. 84 ethnic nationalities. 17 cultural national centers.

Climate: severe continental. There is a long winter with little snow, a hot and dry summer, and a short spring and autumn.

Transport. You may get to Atyrau by plane via Air Astana, Transaero and SCAT airlines. The river port of Atyrau has waterways with Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and access to Azov and Black seas through Volga River. By train from Atyrau you may reach Astana, Mangyshlak, Moscow, Uzen, Kulyab, Tahskent, Saratov, Almaty, Aktobe and Astrakhan.

Natural Resources. Atyrau region is known around the world due to two main natural resources – oil and black caviar. The first oil gusher that gave rise to the development of the oil industry and Kazakhstan scored in 1899. In 1993, a joint Kazakh-American enterprise "Tengizchevroil" was set up for Tengiz – one of the world’s largest oil deposits. It was the first large-scale investment project in oil and gas industry of our country. Now Atyrau is a regional headquarter for several hundred oil and gas industry operators.

90% of caviar is produced in the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan is one of five exporters of caviar, and all its export goes from the Atyrau region. Sturgeon caviar, as well as salmon (red) caviar, not only has a delicate taste, but is very salubrious, because it contains a complete set of amino acids. Black caviar recently acquired a status of state property. 89% shares of "Atyraubalyk" - the only official Kazakhstani caviar exporter – were transferred to public ownership at no cost.

Sightseeing. Atyrau region is a place of many monuments of Muslim architecture of past centuries, mostly ancient necropolis, underground mosques and so-called “kulpytastar”. There are over a thousand monuments of history, archeology, architecture and monumental art. Within 50 km from Atyrau lies one of the most promising tourist destinations, a memorial complex of seven Kazakh khans "Khan Ordaly Saraishyk”. The Saraishyk settlement was a major trading center of Golden Horde, a milestone of the shortest route from Europe to Central Asia and China.

Culture, arts, entertainment. Drama theatre named after M. Utemissov, Regional Philharmonic named after N. Zhanturin, Regional academic orchestra named after Dina Nurpeisova, Museum of regional history, Regional museum of arts and crafts.

Museums in Atyrau may show you over 1000 original examples of craft works from Kazakhstan and Russia and a unique collection of precious metals and jewelery of early nineteenth century made by Kazakh “zergerler”.

Cinemas:

Arman

1, Momysh uly str., Community center named after Dina Nurpeisova

Arsenal 3D

40A, 3^rd district Avant garde, “Ataba” trade center, 2^nd floor

Atyrau Cinema

17A, Satpayev str., “Atyrau” trade center

View today’s movie schedule.

The official city site

www.atyrau-city.kz

City news

www.atyraunews.com

www.azh.kz

The official city site

City news

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