Alternative names Bayterek Location Astana, Kazakhstan Height 97 m Architect Norman Foster | Status Complete Construction started October 25, 1996 Opened 30 August 2002 | |
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Type Monument,
Observation tower Completed August 30, 2002; 14 years ago (2002-08-30) Similar Khan Shatyr Entertain, Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Ak Orda Presidential Palace, Nur‑Astana Mosque, Khazret Sultan Mosque | ||
Bayterek (Kazakh: Бәйтерек, Bäyterek, "tall poplar [tree]"), is a monument and observation tower in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. A tourist attraction popular with foreign visitors and native Kazakhs alike, it is emblematic of the city, which became capital of the country in 1997.
Contents
Map of Bayterek, Astana 020000, Kazakhstan
Design
The monument is meant to embody a folktale about a mythical tree of life and a magic bird of happiness: the bird, named Samruk, had laid its egg in the crevice between two branches of a poplar tree.
The 105 m tall structure rises from a wide flat base within a raised plaza. It consists of a narrow cylindrical shaft, surrounded by white branch-like girders that flare out near the top, supporting a gold-mirrored 22 m diameter sphere. The base contains a ticket booth and exhibition space, with two lifts rising within the shaft to the observation deck within the 'egg'. Entrances to the monument are sunk below eye level, reached by stairs from the surrounding plaza. Copied the idea from 1982 Worlds Fair Sunsphere in Knoxville, TN, USA.(266 ft. Tall)
The observation deck is 97 m above ground level, corresponding to 1997, the year that Astana became the nation's capital. It consists of two levels, one with 360 degree views of Astana and beyond, with a second, higher level, reached by a flight of stairs. The top level features a gilded hand print of the right hand of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first President of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan, mounted in an ornate pedestal. A plaque invites visitors to place a hand in the imprint and make a wish. Alongside the handprint, and also oriented in the direction of the presidential palace, is a wooden sculpture of a globe and 16 radiating segments, commemorating the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held several times in Astana.