Almaty in the era of Verny

Route thread: Kazakh National Pedagogical University, named after Abai - St. Kazan Church - The Fatima Mosque - Cossack Cultural Center - Almaty Museum - House of Fabrics "Kyzyl Tan" - Ascension Cathedral.

Route description:

Guides Anna Degtyareva and Evgenia Morozova launched this tour in October 2018. They give a plan of Vernyi to each participant of the tour, on which they can see what Almaty looked like more than 150 years ago. The guides tell how the streets were named, who lived on them, and what they did at that time. Tourists are shown an earth mound along the Malaya Almatinka River, from which the Vernyi fortification began in 1854. Participants of the tour visit Malaya Stanitsa, the pigeon market, the houses of merchants, a church, and a mosque.

This tour starts from Dostyk Avenue at the corner of Kazybek bi, where at the end of the Kazakh National Pedagogical University, named after Abai, there is an old gate that belonged to one of the Vernyi estates. It is the oldest building preserved in Almaty.

Kazan Cathedral, one of the oldest and most significant Orthodox churches in the Kazakhstan Republic, was built at the end of the 19th century. It’s a great example of the architecture of the first city buildings.

"Fatima" Mosque is one of the most significant religious buildings in Almaty City. It was built in the 60s of the 19th century in the oldest district of the city, the Tatarskaya Sloboda.

Semirechensk Cossacks are an integral part of the history and culture of Kazakhstan. They contributed to the development of the country.

The "Kyzyl-Tan" House of Fabrics is a famous architectural monument in Almaty. The former Vernensky Trading House was built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.

The Ascension Cathedral is a unique Orthodox church that recreates the rich history of the city. It’s also an integral part of the cultural heritage of Almaty City.

We are near the building of the Almaty History Museum. The museum was founded in 2001, and in 2016, it moved to a new building that functioned as an orphanage in the city of Verny.