One of the fun things about Almaty is the seemingly random statues and memorials you come across on otherwise normal street corners. Some monuments, like the statue of Lenin that was moved to an obscure back alley behind family park, are holdovers from the Soviet era, moved to less prominent spots in the city. Others are new symbols of a new Kazakhstan. Every once in a while, usually while I am on an aimless ramble around town, I will come across a monument that somehow seems unique in this place.
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| kids playing next to the Ghandi statue in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
In October while I was walking down Gagarina Park collecting photos of the golden leaves, I came upon the Ghandi Statue. I had heard of this statue before (like the Beatles Statue on Kek Tobe, it is somewhat legendary among my friends), but to see Ghandi there in the middle of Almaty (looking rather cold in the brisk Autumn air, I might add) was a very different experience.
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| Monument to Chinese composer Xian Xinghai |
Yesterday as I was walking to my Russian lesson in the positively frigid winter air, I came across monument to a Chinese Composer. Yes, there is a monument to the early 20th century composer Xian Xinghai on the corner of ул. Си Синхай (Si Sinxai Street) and Gagarina. It turns out that this Chinese composer (his most famous work is the Yellow River Cantata) spent a short time here in Almaty while on his way from Moscow back to China. There is, of course, a lot more to the story than that and it makes for an interesting read that ends tragically (as do so many composers' lives) so hopefully I've convinced you to look him up.
At any rate, I'm off to Istanbul tomorrow so hold on to your horses for a flood of new pictures and posts.
Cool! I like status and monuments!
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