People walk across a patch of grass in front of highrise buildings along Nurzhol Boulevard.

Portrait paintings of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev in the Museum of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Diners sit at tables outdoors at a restaurant with a view of high rise buildings on Nurzhol Boulevard.

A faimly stands next to a pine tree in front of the Khan Shatyr shopping and entertainment center, designed by Norman Foster. It is the highest tensile structure in the world. It houses a shopping mal...

A view of the Mangilik El Triumphal Arch (or Arch of Triumph) in Nur-Sultan. Mangilik El means 'Eternal Country' in Kazakh.

A car stands parked outside a pink house in the embassy neighbourhood with the highrise buildings along Nurzhol Boulevard in the background.

A woman walks down a staircase in the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, also called the Pyramid of Peace and Accord, a conference center that houses the triennial Congress of Leaders of World and Tr...

Gardeners at work on a flower bed near Hazrat Sultan Mosque.

Children look at toys at a stall in the Mega Silk Way shopping mall.

A couple sit on the banks of the Ishim river. The pyramid in the background is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a conference center, designed by Norman Foster.

Parents play with their children on Independence Square next to the Hazrat Sultan Mosque.

People in front of a shop in Grand Astana. In the background - The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Three women sit on a rooftop. In the background the KEGOC-building and the pillars of the incomplete Light Rail Transit (LRT) can be seen. The LRT is allegedly unfinished due to corruption.

People sit in cafes next to the headquarters of KazMunayGaz, the state-owned oil and gas company of Kazakhstan.

An attendant stands next to the golden cast of the hand of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the iconic Bayterek Tower. Those who place their hand in the imprint can make a wish. The developmen...

A woman cleans around the golden cast of the hand of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev in the iconic Bayterek Tower while visitors stand in line to put their hands in the cast. Those who place the...

A female attendant at the iconic Bayterek Tower which looks out over Nurzhol Boulevard.

Visitors wait in line to touch the golden cast of the hand of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the iconic Bayterek Tower. Those who place their hand in the imprint can make a wish. The develop...

Three girls walk past an old Soviet car on a parking lot in the eastern outskirts of the city.

An old house with corrugated iron roof stands in what used to be the outskirts of Nur-Sultan. Original residential neighbourhoods are being systematically demolished to make way for the new developmen...

A newly married couple pose for a photo on Nurzhol Boulevard in central Nur-Sultan.

Children play on a vacant lot near the Northern Lights high rises along Nurzhol Boulevard in central Nur-Sultan.

Children ride remote controlled toy cars along a cycle path which runs through the Botanical Garden.

Visitors are shown traditional Kazakh costumes at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

A statue of the former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev in the giant entrance hall of the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The city's name was changed from Astana to the former pres...

A road leading up to the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, also called the Pyramid of Peace and Accord, a conference center that houses the triennial Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Rel...

An ice cream vendor stands at her stall along Nurzhol Boulevard in central Nur-Sultan.

Children play with water next to fake rock and a fountain in the eastern outskirts of the city.

A man sits on a rug next to a lawnmower on a pavement in front of a circular apartment building in the eastern outskirts of the city.

A woman pushes a pram past a circular apartment building in the eastern outskirts of the city.

Two young men use a pedalo on the Ishim river.

Women take pictures next to a ride at a fun fair in Central Park

Two young men try their luck at a shooting gallery at a fun fair in Central Park

The concierge at the Triumph of Astana, a 39-story skyscraper, behind her desk.

A girl holding a candy floss stands next to three women seated on a bench in the public park near Bayterek Tower. The highrise building in the background is Abu Dhabi Plaza.

A man carries a painting of an idyllic landscape onto a bus in central Nur-Sultan.

Statues of horses at Kruglaya Ploshchad. The building in the back is the headquarters of KazMunayGaz, the state owned oil and gas company of Kazakhstan.

A view of the Bayterek Tower, the symbol of the city. In the background, the Abu Dhabi Plaza, Talan Towers and Beijing Palace Hotel.

A woman with a mobile phone leans on a wall overlooking highrise buildings along Nurzhol Boulevard.

People in swimwear sit in the Sky Beach Club next to an indoor pool and beach at Khan Shatyr entertainment center. Khan Shatyr, designed by Norman Foster, is the highest tensile structure in the world...

A man stands on an old boat on the Ishim river with the Radisson Hotel in the background.

A woman takes a picture of children sitting in an nstagram photo booth.

A construction site for a new development.

A boy fills water bottles at a public tap near Nurly Zhol railway station in the outskirts of Nur-Sultan. Housing in some of the outskirts is very basic and people live in poor conditions in small Sov...

Pillars for the incomplete Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, a metro line from Nazarbayev International Airport to Nurly Zhol railway station. Locals call the pillars their monument to corruption since...

An ice cream vendor in the pedestrian zone of Nurzhol Boulevard. The highrise blocks in the background are the Northern Lights towers.

A man tends to a child in a pram in front of newly built luxury condominium complexes in the English Quarter at Panfilov Street.

Newly built luxury condominium complexes in the Holland Quarter at Panfilov Street.

Young men and women enjoy a night out at the Nightclub Zoloto.

Young men and women enjoy a night out at the Nightclub Zoloto.

Children play among bamboo poles inside the Mega Silk Way shopping mall.

Member of the press askng a question (having removed her face mask to do so) at a hybrid press conference at the end of a fifth round of UN-sponsored peace talks (the Syrian Constitutional committee),...

Member of the Syrian opposition communications team filming with a smart phone at a hybrid press conference at the end of a fifth round of UN-sponsored peace talks (the Syrian Constitutional Committee...

Member of the Syrian opposition communications team filming with a smart phone at a hybrid press conference at the end of a fifth round of UN-sponsored peace talks (the Syrian Constitutional Committee...

A child walks near an art installation near the Bayterek Tower.

People walking near the Bayterek Tower.

Modernist highrise buildings in the recently re-named capital.

'Minima | Maxima' a large public art sculpture by Marc Fornes/Thevery in the grounds of the World Expo 2017.

People visit 'Minima | Maxima' a large public art sculpture by Marc Fornes/Thevery in the grounds of the World Expo 2017.

People rest beneath a metal shade sculpture in the grounds of the World Expo 2017.

People at 'We Are Energy', an exhibit on the UK pavilion at Expo 2017 Astana.

A woman looks at 'We Are Energy', an exhibit on the UK pavilion at Expo 2017 Astana.

The exterior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The interior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The interior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The interior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The interior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The interior of the Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

The Nur Alem pavilion, containing the museum of Future Energy, built for Expo 2017 Astana.

A road junction in an old city district far from the moderncentre visible on the horizon.

Modernist buildings, including the The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, a pyramid shaped building in the Presidential Park.

Construction on the outskirts of the city.

The Golden Towers stand out among the many modernist buildings in the city centre.

A cyclist beside the Ishim River.

The copper facade of the Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications (Transport Tower) shines in the afternoon sunlight.

The Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre seen view the arch in the centre of the KazMunayGas (KMG) headquarters building.

The headquarters of KazMunayGas (KMG).

The copper facade of the Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications (Transport Tower) shines in the afternoon sunlight.

A fountain sprays water near the Bayterek Tower.

The Golden Towers stand out among the many modernist buildings in the city centre.

The Golden Towers stand out among the many modernist buildings in the city centre.

An 'I love Astana' sign, in a square near the presidential palace. In the background among many modernist buildings are the Golden Towers.

Flamingos decorate a giant model three dimensional map of Kazakhstan at the Atameken Ethno-Memorial Complex.

A giant model three dimensional map of Kazakhstan at the Atameken Ethno-Memorial Complex.

A modernist highrise building with a yellow facade.

Modernist highrise buildings in the recently re-named capital.

A child walks past modernist highrise buildings near the Ishim River.

Business men walk past the Bayterek Tower, a monument and observation tower.

A married couple in a limousine in the new city centre.

A couple embrace while watching sunset over the river Ishim.