Along the Ishim River in the center of a vast steppe lies Kazakhstan's capital city, Astana (Астана). Though a functional city since 1830, Astana only became the nation's capital in 1997. The past 16 years have brought significant architectural developments, many of which display innovative designs to functionally cope with the city's drastic temperature fluctuations and symbolically reflect traditional Kazakh culture. And where there's been architectural innovation, there have been numerous Kazkh Instagrammers to share these wonders with the world.
Shown here is the city's main landmark, a 105-meter (344-foot) tall observation tower called Bayterek (Бәйтерек), which evokes a Kazakh folktale about a bird that laid a golden egg in the tree of life. Astana also boasts The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, built to house space for diverse world religions, and the Khan Shatyr entertainment center, 140,000 square meters (35 acres) of shops and parks covered by the world's largest tent.
See more photos from Astana at blog.instagram.com. Photo by @vagskeee.