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Almaty is situated in the east-southern part of Republic, on the northern part of Tian-Shan mountains, on the altitude of 600-900 meters above sea level. The highest point in the nearest Almaty area is peak Talgar (4973 above sea level).
Practically every city has its own symbol. Something, which makes the city special page in our memory. For Moscow it is Kremlin, for Paris it is Eiffel Tower and Niva for Saint-Petersburg. What does mark out Almaty from the thousands of other cities? Palace of President? Hotel Kazakhstan? Television center? No! For Almaty it is the Zailliski Alatau mountains ("alatau" could be translated as "parti-coloured mountains"). Mountains play in life of the city and locals a very meaningful role. It could be felt by everybody who have been leaving Almaty. Wherever you find yourself willy-nilly begin seeking for mountain peaks. Mountain ranges impart to climate the caressing tenderness, although only in 50 kilometres northwards the Pribalkhash desert sand-hills show the summer unbearable sultriness and winter severe frosts. Mountains merit to make a special acquaintance with them and so we decided to narrate about some magnificent suburbs of city.
This acquaintance could be started from the trip by cable-way to Kok-Tube summit (it was called till 60-ies as Virigina), whose wagon delivers passengers from Republic Palace (Dostyk Ave., cross-road of Abai Ave.) to the top during some minutes. It's altitude above sea level is 1130 meters. In 1997 the cable way will meet its 30-ies anniversary. The cable way stretches above the part of "old city", which is called "compote". This region was called in this way because of street names. Rising in cable way wagon higher and higher above the city, you may see, like in ethnographic museum, the way of life of locals. There is a television 350 meter tower on Kok-Tube slope. If count from sea level it's the highest television tower in the world! And note that it stands in seismicity zone.
The mountains are a zone like zone in Tarkovski's "Stalker", where nothing is stable and predictable. The situation is being changed all the time. So it is possible to say that one can not come in to the mountains twice. Although for many persons make it once is a problem. Try...
Good luck!
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