The flashy buildings of Astana rise up implausibly from the flat plains of oil-rich Kazakhstan to form a city stuck between a Soviet past and an aspirational present.
The Guardian: Welcome to Astana, Kazakhstan – one of the strangest capital cities on Earth
(FILES) A picture taken on July 1, 2013 shows the Byterek tower in the centre of Astana as a soldier stands guard outside the Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan.
