Kazakhstan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Astana to Host Central Asia’s First UEFA Super Cup

Astana will host the 2028 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Super Cup, the first such match to be held in Kazakhstan or anywhere in Central Asia. To stage one of the major fixtures of the European club season, Astana Arena will have to replace its recently installed artificial turf with natural grass and undergo further upgrades. UEFA’s Executive Committee, the governing body of European soccer, selected Astana at a meeting in Thessaloniki on September 15. The match will bring together the winners of the 2027/28 Champions League and Europa League. The Super Cup is played as a single match between the holders of UEFA’s two leading men’s club trophies. In 2027, it will be staged at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam. A year later, the trophy will be contested in Central Asia for the first time. For Kazakhstan, the decision follows several years of work on hosting a major UEFA fixture. In the bidding process launched in 2025, the country sought to host the Conference League finals, the third tier of UEFA men’s club competition, in 2028 and 2029. Those finals ultimately went to Turin and Budapest, respectively, while UEFA separately awarded Astana the 2028 Super Cup. Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) General Secretary Scott Munn said the federation had been working on the project for several years. Astana Arena has a capacity of around 30,000 and holds UEFA Category 4 status, the organization’s highest stadium classification. Kazakhstan’s national team regularly plays there, and in the 2015/16 season FC Astana hosted its Champions League group-stage opponents at the stadium. Kieran Maguire, a soccer finance expert and lecturer at the University of Liverpool Management School, sees Kazakhstan’s experience in hosting international matches as one of the strengths of its bid. UEFA’s familiarity with the stadium and the federation’s experience organizing European fixtures would reduce operational risks, but Maguire said the bid’s quality was ultimately decisive. A major renovation of the stadium was completed only recently. The arena closed for repairs in 2024, with work covering the roof and its retractable mechanism, engineering and fire-safety systems, screens, media systems, and ticketing infrastructure. The old pitch was also replaced with new heated artificial turf, which received UEFA certification in December 2024. Kazakh media reported that around KZT 15 billion, or about $28 million, was allocated for the renovation. In January 2025, the Astana City Maslikhat, the capital’s elected representative body, reported that the renovation had been completed in line with UEFA recommendations. Ayan Alzhanov, head of the KFF’s International Relations Department, said UEFA specialists will conduct another inspection of the arena and determine what additional work is required. “Astana Arena has UEFA Category 4 status. Our national team has played many official matches here, and Champions League games have been held here. So UEFA knows our stadium," Alzhanov said. The cost of preparing for the Super Cup has not yet been announced. It is also unclear whether the natural-grass pitch will remain after the match. Another challenge is distance. Astana is considerably...

Alexey Lutsenko Makes Asian Games History With Sixth Gold

Kazakhstani cyclist Alexey Lutsenko won the men’s road race at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, becoming his country’s most successful athlete in Asian Games history. The victory gave the 34-year-old his sixth Asian Games gold medal as he prepares to end his professional career. On September 23, Lutsenko completed the 160.5-kilometer race in 4 hours, 13 minutes, and 11 seconds. His teammate Yevgeniy Fedorov finished second, 1 minute and 58 seconds behind. Another Kazakhstani rider, Nicolas Vinokurov, the son of Olympic champion Alexander Vinokurov, helped control the race for the team and finished seventh. His second gold at the current Games came on September 20, when he won the individual time trial for the fourth consecutive Games, a discipline in which riders race individually against the clock. Lutsenko covered the 32.4-kilometer course in 41 minutes, 24.05 seconds, beating silver medalist Shunsuke Imamura of Japan by more than a minute and a half. Before the Games in Japan, Lutsenko had won four Asian Games gold medals. He won the individual time trial in 2014, 2018, and 2022, and also took gold in the road race in Jakarta in 2018. His fifth gold brought him level with Kazakhstan’s previous record holder, canoeist Konstantin Negodyayev, who won three titles at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima and two more at the 1998 Games in Bangkok. His sixth victory put Lutsenko alone at the top. “I did my job,” Lutsenko said after the race. “The Asian Games, like the Olympics, take place once every four years. As a national team athlete, I prepared responsibly for these events and didn’t think about any records. I did my maximum and brought a medal to the country. That is what matters most. I’m not such a young rider anymore, because cycling is now increasingly focused on youth. A new generation is coming through. But I’m glad they believed in me, gave me a chance, and I fully justified their trust.” Lutsenko plans to retire in the near future. He said he had made the decision at the end of last year. “Time passes. Cycling is changing. Young riders are coming through and producing strong results from an early age. I have done my maximum. Six Asian Games gold medals, stage wins at the biggest Grand Tours. I am proud of what I have done over 15 years in professional sport. Now I have won two gold medals. And this is the best moment to end my career in the near future,” he said. During his professional career, Lutsenko has won stages at two of cycling’s three Grand Tours, the sport’s most prestigious stage races: the Vuelta a España in 2017 and the Tour de France in 2020. By the evening of September 23, Kazakhstan was fourth in the medal standings with seven gold, four silver, and eight bronze medals, behind China, Japan, and South Korea. All five Central Asian countries had won medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Tajikistan had won two gold medals and Uzbekistan...

Astana’s WIPO City of Innovation Bid Reaches Final 15

Astana is the only Central Asian city among 15 finalists for the inaugural World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) City of Innovation Award. WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), announced the finalists on September 22. Shanghai, Moscow, and Liverpool are among the other cities competing for the award. The award focuses on what cities pledge to do over the following 12 months rather than what they have already achieved. Judges consider the ambition of those plans, how well they fit each city’s circumstances, and whether they can realistically be carried out. Astana’s submission is heavily focused on technology. The city proposes an artificial intelligence- and data-enabled Smart City platform and a single digital gateway for personalized public services, alongside projects intended to improve accessibility and sustainability. Those plans build on several years of investment in the capital’s digital infrastructure. Astana has been selected three times for the Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart21 Communities of the Year, in 2015, 2017, and 2023. The program recognizes cities and regions using connectivity, technology, and knowledge-based development to improve their economies and communities. A much larger smart-city project began in February 2025 when the city signed a six-year, $190 million agreement with Presight to introduce artificial intelligence across urban infrastructure, traffic management, and public services. The project includes a digital twin of the capital, bringing together information from city systems and sensors to support planning and day-to-day management. The project is being developed alongside a wider technology ecosystem. As The Times of Central Asia has reported, Astana Hub has more than 2,200 companies in its ecosystem, while the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center brings together startups, researchers, technology companies, and government projects. Presight opened its first Central Asian research and development laboratory at Alem.ai in October 2025, with smart-city applications among its areas of work. The WIPO nomination comes as Astana rolls out a model of city management built around artificial intelligence, connected infrastructure, and data. An independent international jury will choose up to three winners. They will be announced on October 12 at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, on the margins of the sixth UN Forum of Mayors.

Kazakhstan’s MMA Gold Medalist Comforts Tajik Opponent at Asian Games

A mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Kazakhstan embraced and comforted his distressed Tajik opponent after defeating him to win gold at the Asian Games in Japan. It was one of the more striking scenes so far at the Games, which began on September 19 and run until October 4. China was at the top of the medal standings with 78 medals, including 48 golds, on Wednesday. Japan and South Korea were in second and third place, respectively. Kazakhstan was fourth with 19 medals, including seven golds. Kadyrbek Shynbayev, a 22-year-old MMA fighter from Kazakhstan, won Tuesday’s final in the up-to-71-kilogram weight category, beating 25-year-old Behruz Khurshedzoda of Tajikistan by a 3-0 judges’ decision. The fighters were competing in the “modern” variant of the combat sport, in which they wear shorts and a rash guard, or tight athletic shirt, instead of the traditional gi, which consists of a jacket, pants, and a belt. Shynbayev let out a roar of triumph after the result was announced, and his team celebrated on the sidelines. He paraded for a moment with a national flag wrapped around his shoulders, but then noticed Khurshedzoda on his knees on the competition mat, visibly overcome by his loss. Shynbayev, in blue, approached his red-clad adversary and embraced him. Still wearing their bulky gloves, the two men talked. Khurshedzoda tapped his own head with his glove. Then the pair stood up together and hugged one more time as videographers and photographers recorded the scene at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. The Sports.kz news portal described Shynbayev’s actions as a “beautiful gesture” and posted a video of the scene on Instagram. Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly TV showed Shynbayev and other medal winners being welcomed at Almaty airport after returning from the Asian Games. Shynbayev also won the Asian MMA Championship title in January. At that time, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Defense identified him as a military private. Tajik media, including the state-run Khovar news agency, reported on Khurshedzoda’s contested road to the final in Japan. In the semifinal, judges awarded victory to his opponent, Yryskeldi Duisheev of Kyrgyzstan, but Tajikistan’s delegation appealed, and the decision was reversed in Khurshedzoda’s favor. Duisheev received a bronze medal. MMA includes striking, grappling, throwing, and submission techniques. The sport made its debut at the 2026 Asian Games, which are being held across Aichi Prefecture, including Nagoya. The Asian Games are held every four years.

Archaeological Heritage

In Search of Immortality: A Journey Through the Land of Korkyt Ata

On the steppe near the Syr Darya, the wind itself plays the Korkyt Ata Memorial Complex. Passing through 40 metal pipes inside the monument, it produces a long, haunting sound intended to evoke the kobyz, a traditional bowed instrument closely associated with Korkyt Ata. The memorial stands in Karmakshy District of Kyzylorda Region, 18 kilometers northwest of the village of Zhosaly. Built in 1980 by architect Bek Ibrayev and physicist and acoustician Sovet Isatayev, the complex was extensively reconstructed in 2014. [caption id="attachment_56742" align="aligncenter" width="1538"] Korkyt Ata Memorial Complex[/caption] Korkyt Ata, known in other Turkic traditions as Dede Qorqud or Dede Korkut, is a legendary sage, musician, and storyteller. In Kazakh tradition, he is closely associated with the kobyz. [caption id="attachment_56777" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] The kobyz, a traditional bowed instrument associated with Korkyt Ata[/caption] In 2018, the epic culture, folk tales, and music associated with Korkyt Ata were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity following a joint nomination by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. UNESCO describes the tradition as comprising 12 heroic legends and 13 traditional musical compositions passed down through generations. The Kazakh version of this story has its own landscape: the banks of the Syr Darya. “According to legend, Korkyt learned that he was destined to die at the age of 40 and set out in search of a place where death could not reach him. He traveled through different lands, but wherever he went, he saw graves,” says journalist and tour guide Mira Zhakibayeva. [caption id="attachment_56751" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Mira Zhakibayeva[/caption] Korkyt returned to the Syr Darya and made a kobyz from wood, camel skin, and horsehair. When he played, the world around him seemed to stand still. In folk memory, music became his answer to death: a person cannot live forever, but what they create can outlive them. The memorial’s architects translated the legend into metal and stone. Four vertical steles resemble a kobyz, while the metal pipes inside sound in the wind, making the monument seem to change its voice with the weather. Nearby are a museum, an amphitheater, and the so-called Pyramid of Wishes. Visitors circle the structure before entering to make a wish. The museum offers a closer look at the tradition of the kui. In Kazakh culture, a kui is an instrumental composition traditionally associated with a story, mood, or image. Korkyt is considered one of the earliest figures in the kobyz kui tradition. The landscape around the memorial preserves much older layers of history. [caption id="attachment_56774" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Archaeological finds from ancient Zhankent[/caption] Not far away lies Zhankent, also known as Yangikent, a medieval city in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya. It is closely connected with the history of the Oghuz, a confederation of Turkic tribes that played an important role in Central Asia in the early Middle Ages. Zhankent stood along routes connecting Central Asia’s agricultural oases with the Eurasian steppe. Archaeological excavations have uncovered residential quarters and evidence of irrigation and metalworking. “It is...

Almaty Culture

Yurts, Throat Singing, and Aport Apples at Almaty City Day

On Sunday, September 20, yurts, market stalls, activity areas, and stages lined Panfilov Street, extending downhill from the building that houses the Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU). The flow of people barely thinned until evening. Almaty celebrates City Day on the third Sunday of September. This year, concerts and festivals were held on Astana and Abai squares, Zhibek Zholy Street, outside the Alatau Theater of Traditional Art, and across all eight districts. The busiest program unfolded on Panfilov Street in the historic center. The main stage was set up near the KBTU building. Completed in 1957, it was the seat of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and later housed the parliament of independent Kazakhstan. It was here on December 16, 1991, that the constitutional law declaring Kazakhstan’s independence was adopted. The concert had no strict division by genre. Traditional throat singing, a vocal technique in which a singer produces a low note while bringing out higher overtones, gave way to folk dancing, followed by pop performers. The crowd remained dense as people moved between the main stage and nearby venues. Music changed along the length of Panfilov Street as visitors moved downhill. Some performers played outside the official program, while dombra musicians could be found beyond the festival area in other parts of the city. [caption id="attachment_56530" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] One of several music stages along the city streets.[/caption] At the Alma Digital area, traditional competitions were given a digital twist. In the archery event, the bow was real, but the target appeared on an LED screen, and the system displayed the arrow’s speed after each shot. In the tug-of-war challenge, a wall replaced the opposing team, while a screen measured the force applied in kilograms. Lines of children formed at both activities, regularly joined by adults. Yurts along the street offered felt goods, textiles, jewelry, and dombras. Children played games and watched performances, while other areas featured crafts, films, environmental projects, sports, and food. [caption id="attachment_56535" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Traditional textiles.[/caption] An exhibition of archival photographs documented Almaty from the days of Verny through the postwar period. Visitors lingered over the images, trying to identify familiar streets and intersections. A separate area was devoted to the Alma Qala festival, where apples from farms around Almaty were brought for sale. According to Kazinform, more than 200 tons of fruit were supplied for the fair, ranging from widely grown varieties to the now much rarer Almaty Aport. The region’s connection to apples predates Aport, reaching back to Malus sieversii, the wild apple that still grows in the Tian Shan mountains and is recognized as the main progenitor of the modern cultivated apple. Genetic research traces the origins of domesticated apples to Central Asia and shows how other wild species contributed to their genetic makeup as cultivated varieties spread westward along the Silk Road. [caption id="attachment_56536" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Apples gave Almaty its name.[/caption] Aport arrived in Verny in the 19th century and flourished in the foothills around the city, where its...