History of Astana in Timeline
Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan, located on the Ishim River. It's the second-largest city in the country, with a population of over 1.6 million. Founded in 1830 as Aqmoly, the city underwent several name changes, including Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Aqmola, before becoming Astana in 1998, meaning "capital" in Kazakh. In 2019, it was briefly renamed Nur-Sultan in honor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev but reverted to Astana in 2022.
8 hours ago : Kazakhstan to Change City Renaming Rules and Administrative Structure Approach
Kazakhstan plans to change the rules for renaming cities and villages. The approach to administrative-territorial structure will also change. Additionally, powers of the akimats were reduced in constitutional law.
1954: Virgin Lands Campaign
In 1954, Northern Kazakh SSR oblasts became a territory of the Virgin Lands Campaign.
1957: Founding of S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University
In 1957, the S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University, the oldest university in Astana, was founded.
August 2, 1959: Yesil Bridge collapse
On August 2, 1959, a tragedy occurred as 143 people died in the collapse of the Yesil Bridge, during which a police officer saved 40 people.
December 1960: Creation of Tselinniy Krai
In December 1960, the Central Committee resolved to create the Tselinniy Krai, comprising five regions of the Northern Kazakh SSR oblasts.
March 1961: Rename suggested by Khrushchev
In March 1961, Khrushchev suggested the city should have a name corresponding to its role in the Virgin Lands Campaign.
April 1961: Region reconstituted as Tselinograd Oblast
On April 24, 1961, the region was reconstituted as Tselinograd Oblast.
1963: Work on high-rise housing districts began
In 1963, work began on the first three new high-rise housing districts.
1964: FC Astana-1964
In 1964, FC Astana-1964 was based in the Kazhymukan Munaitpasov Stadium and plays in the Astana Municipal Football League.
1971: Tselinograd became the oblast's new capital
In 1971, the Tselinniy Krai was abolished and Tselinograd became the oblast's new capital.
1983: Opening of Trolleybus Routes
In 1983, trolleybus routes were opened in Astana, initially featuring three routes.
1989: Tselinograd Population
In 1989, Tselinograd had a population of 281,000.
1991: Name changed to Akmola
In 1991, following Kazakhstan's independence, the name was changed to Akmola.
July 1994: Decree on capital transfer adopted
On July 6, 1994, the Supreme Council of Kazakhstan adopted the decree "On the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan".
1994: Founding of Kazakh Humanities and Law Institute
In 1994, the Kazakh Humanities and Law Institute was founded as a law university by the Ministry of Justice initiative.
May 1996: L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University founding
On 23 May 1996, the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University was founded as the result of merging the Akmola Civil Engineering Institute with the Akmola Pedagogical Institute.
December 1997: City became the capital
In December 1997, Astana replaced Almaty as the capital of Kazakhstan.
December 1997: Capital Moved
On December 10, 1997, the capital of Kazakhstan was moved from Almaty to Akmola.
April 1998: Design competition for the new capital
In April 1998, the Government of Kazakhstan asked architects and urban planners of international renown to participate in a design competition for the new capital.
May 1998: Creation of Almaty and Saryarka District
Almaty and Saryarka District were created on May 6, 1998.
June 1998: Astana Presentation
On June 10, 1998, Astana was presented as the capital internationally.
October 1998: Kisho Kurokawa awarded First Prize
On October 6, 1998, Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa was awarded the First Prize for the design of the new capital.
1998: Name Change to Astana
In 1998, the city's name was changed to Astana, meaning "capital" in Kazakh.
July 1999: City of Peace
On July 16, 1999, Astana was awarded the medal and title of the City of Peace by UNESCO.
1999: Establishment of Miras International School
In 1999, the Miras International School was established, becoming the first private high school in Astana.
2001: Astana – New City special economic zone established
In 2001, the Astana – New City special economic zone was established to help develop industry and increase the attractiveness of the city to investors.
2003: Congress on World and Traditional Religions
Since 2003, Astana has hosted the Congress on World and Traditional Religions.
2006: Reduction of Trolleybus Routes
By 2006, only one trolleybus route remained in operation in Astana.
2006: Palace of Peace and Reconciliation Constructed
In 2006, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation was constructed to host the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
2007: Population Doubled
By 2007, Astana's population had more than doubled since becoming the capital, to over 600,000.
2007: Founding of Astana Pro Team
In 2007, the Astana Pro Team was founded and began participating in the UCI World Tour as a road cycling team.
August 2008: Yesil District Created
Yesil District was created on August 5, 2008.
2008: Barys Astana founding member of KHL
In 2008, the Barys Astana became a founding member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
2008: Closure of Trolleybus Fleet
In 2008, the special state commission declared the trolleybus fleet unprofitable due to debts, leading to its complete closure in Astana.
2008: Organization of navigation on the Esil River
Since 2008, navigation on the Esil River has been organized within Astana, with the creation of the specialized enterprise GKKP "Esil-Astana".
2009: Founding of FC Astana
In 2009, FC Astana, a major association football team in Astana, was founded and later became a member of the Kazakhstan Premier League.
July 2010: Astana presented bid to host Specialised Expo 2017
On 1 July 2010, Astana presented its bid to host the Specialised Expo 2017 at the 153rd General Assembly of Bureau International des Expositions in Paris.
2010: Founding of Nazarbayev University
In 2010, Nazarbayev University, an autonomous research university, was founded in partnership with top universities worldwide.
2011: Host of 2011 Asian Winter Games
In 2011, Astana gained international recognition when it hosted the Asian Winter Games.
2011: Use of Libraries and Museums
In 2011, Astana had 27 libraries, serving 153 people per thousand residents, and 8 state museums, which were visited by 415,500 people and conducted 68,514 excursions.
2011: Akimat of Astana established company to implement "New transport system of Astana"
In 2011, the Akimat of Astana established a company to implement the "New transport system of Astana," including bus rapid transit lines and plans for a light rail.
2011: Establishment of Haileybury Astana school
In 2011, the Haileybury Astana school was established as a branch of the Haileybury and Imperial Service College from the United Kingdom.
2011: Astana Hosted UCI Track Cycling World Cup Stage
In 2011, the Saryarka Velodrome in Astana hosted a stage of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup.
2012: Founding of FC Bayterek
In 2012, FC Bayterek was founded to develop youth football and became a member of the Kazakhstan First Division.
2012: Founding of Astana Presidential Sports Club
In 2012, the Astana Presidential Sports Club was founded to combine the main sports teams in Astana, supported by Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna.
November 2013: Nursultan Nazarbayev condemned the construction of LRT
In November 2013, President Nursultan Nazarbayev condemned the construction of LRT because of the high cost.
December 2013: Planned Completion Date for LRT Construction
The first stage of construction of a 16.4-kilometer line, which would've included nine stations, was planned to be completed by 1 December 2013.
2013: Student enrollment increase in Astana universities
In 2013, Astana had a total of 53,561 students enrolled in its 14 higher education institutions, marking a 10% rise from the previous year.
2014: Start of AstanaBike bicycle-sharing program
In 2014, the AstanaBike bicycle-sharing program began operating in Astana.
2014: Opening of the School of Medicine at Nazarbayev University
In 2014, the School of Medicine at Nazarbayev University opened, becoming the second medical school in Astana.
April 2015: Increase in employment in small and medium businesses
As of April 1, 2015, the number of people employed in small and medium-sized businesses increased by 17.8% to over 234,000 people.
July 2015: Increase in small and medium businesses
As of July 1, 2015, the number of small and medium-sized businesses increased by 13.7% to over 96,000.
2015: Alau Ice Palace hosted World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
In 2015, the Alau Ice Palace in Astana hosted the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships.
2015: SEZ plans to commission projects
The SEZ plans to commission five projects worth 20 billion KZT in the Industrial Park No. 1 in 2015.
October 2016: Top 21 intelligent communities
In October 2016, Astana was included in the list of the top 21 intelligent communities of the world by the Intelligent Community Forum.
June 2017: Opening of Expo 2017
Expo 2017 opened on 10 June 2017, with heads of state from 17 nations in attendance, marking the first world's fair in Central Asia.
2017: Construction of LRT Began
Despite earlier controversy, construction of a light rail transit (LRT) system began in Astana in 2017.
2017: Construction of Nurly Zhol railway station
During the Expo 2017 event, a new railway station, Nurly Zhol, was built in Astana with a customer capacity of 12,000.
2017: Host of Expo 2017
In 2017, Astana hosted Expo 2017, focused on "Future Energy."
2017: Construction of new terminal at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
In 2017, due to an expected 50% increase in passenger traffic, construction of a new terminal began at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport.
2017: Expansion of AstanaBike system
In 2017, the AstanaBike system consisted of 40 stations with 1000 bicycles.
2017: The Kazakh concept for this exhibition relates to the impact of energy on society in the modern world
In 2017, the Kazakh concept for this exhibition relates to the impact of energy on society in the modern world. The theme of the Astana Expo was "Future Energy".
2017: Population over 1 million
In 2017, the population of Astana topped 1 million.
March 2018: Baykonyr District Created
Baykonyr District was created on March 16, 2018.
July 2018: AIFC Opened
In July 2018, the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) opened to become a hub for financial services in Central Asia.
July 2018: New Astana International Financial Centre opened
In July 2018, the new Astana International Financial Centre opened.
2018: Foreign direct investment
In 2018, Astana attracted more than three trillion tenge (US$7.91 billion) in foreign direct investment, a record amount for the city.
March 2019: City renamed to Nur-Sultan
In March 2019, the Kazakhstani government renamed the city Nur-Sultan to honor President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
July 2019: Opening of the martial art palace
On July 6, 2019, the martial art palace was opened, featuring sports facilities for five thousand spectators to take part in international competitions.
2019: Name Change to Nur-Sultan
In 2019, Astana was briefly renamed Nur-Sultan in honor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
2019: Corruption Scandal causes LRT project to Stagnate
In 2019, the LRT project in Astana stagnated after a corruption scandal.
May 2020: WTO discussed Kazakhstan's offer
In May 2020, WTO members discussed Kazakhstan's offer to reschedule the conference to June 2021, but postponed taking a decision due to the ongoing pandemic.
June 2020: Postponement of WTO Ministerial Conference
The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was originally scheduled to take place in June 2020 in then-Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 2021: MC12 would take place in Geneva
In April 2021, members agreed that MC12 would take place in Geneva from 30 November to 3 December.
June 2021: Rescheduling the conference
In May 2020, WTO members discussed Kazakhstan's offer to reschedule the conference to June 2021, but postponed taking a decision due to the ongoing pandemic.
2021: Top Tourist Destination
In 2021, Astana was recognized as one of Kazakhstan's 10 priority tourist destinations.
September 2022: Name changed back to Astana
In September 2022, the name of the capital was changed back to Astana.
September 2022: Reverted to Astana
In September 2022, the name reverted to Astana.
2022: Global Financial Centers Index
Astana is the leader in the CIS region on the Global Financial Centers Index rank in 2022.
2023: Construction of LRT Resumed
In 2023, construction of the light rail transit (LRT) system in Astana resumed.
2024: Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport passenger traffic
In 2024, Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport saw 8,315,108 passengers pass through it, making it the second-busiest airport in Kazakhstan.
January 2025: City population
As of January 2025, the population of Astana is 1,528,703.
November 2025: Update on LRT Operation
As of November 2025 the first line of the Astana Light Metro is planned to start operation in the first quarter of 2026.
2026: Ethnic Kazakhs
As of 2026, ethnic Kazakhs made up 83% of the city population.
2026: Planned Start of Operation for Astana Light Metro
As of November 2025, the first line of the Astana Light Metro is planned to begin operation in the first quarter of 2026.
2030: Completion of diplomatic quarter and government buildings
By 2030, the diplomatic quarter and government buildings in the area south of the Ishim River are scheduled to be completed as part of Astana's development plan.
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