Almaty Museum of Arts, which opened in late 2025, is an exciting addition to the Central Asian art scene. The brainchild of Kazakh entrepeneur Nurlan Smagulov, it hosts an impressive permanent collection of Kazakh and international art.

Today Barsakelmes is surrounded by the sands of the world’s youngest desert, the Aralkum. But it wasn’t long ago that Barsakelmes was an island in the middle of the Aral Sea, the fourth largest lake in the world.

A few hours’ drive from the Kazakh city of Aktau lies Shakpak-ata, one of the many underground mosques to be found in Mangystau, a fascinating outpost of western Kazakhstan.