I was among the first in the dining hall for the buffet breakfast. The well-lit dining hall with pastel coloured walls and colourful paintings was a lovely setting for a meal. A huge breakfast is the right way to start the day, at least for me. Pancakes with sourcherry and strawberry jams, assorted sausages, salami, omelette, apple juice, dry fruits and coffee - just a few from the buffet. That said, I would not call the buffet elaborate, but adequate.
After a visit to the company’s base yard in Karabatan, about 50 kms outside Atyrau city, it was lunch with office staff at Shaihana, which served traditional Kazakh cuisine. An exclusive table was arranged for the group. That the restaurant is popular with the local crowd was amply clear. The calorie ingestion started with campote and lime and kiwi juices, ceasar salad, baursak and other breads. Cold cuts which included beef tongue with veggies were part of the starters. The main dish was Fishparmak made from sturgeon, found in plenty in the Caspian Sea. The cuisine in these parts of the world is largely bland, mostly boiled with plenty of broth. This makes the food easy on the stomach. Soon came the fish broth in medium sized bowls followed by tea. To round up the fare were humongous pieces of moist cake. I feared that my knees would require assistance to lift the bulk from the chair after such a heavy meal.
One of the oldest and most beautiful architectural monuments of the town - Cathedral of the Assumption - is located in the heart of the city of Atyrau, just a few steps from the main square. This cathedral is one of the oldest temples in Kazakhstan, completed in 1888, and is one of the architectural monuments of national importance. Photography, as is the norm with Russian Orthodox churches, is prohibited inside the Cathedral.
The Russian Orthodox cross differs from the Western cross. The cross usually has three crossbeams, two horizontal and the third one is a bit slanted. While the top bar symbolizes the sign, Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews, which was hung above the head of Christ, the middle bar was where Christ's hands were nailed. The lower slanted bar is the foot-rest, which prolongs the torture. The upward slant of the lower crossbeam on the right is also interpreted as where the penitent thief was crucified alongside Christ and the left that slants down for the impenitent thief. Another interpretation is that the upward slant points to Heaven and the downward slant to Hell; a scale of justice. The iconic Russian Orthodox cross was popularised by Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar who wanted to promote the idea of Moscow being the Third Rome, a successor to Rome and Constantinople. The schism between the Latin and Eastern Churches widened further.
The main square in Atyrau is the Isatay and Makhambet Square which is in the European side of the city. The reconstructed square was opened in August 2019 with new fountains, benches and walkways. The monument was also renovated with additional parking lots around square. The square is quite popular with kids riding bicycles, skating and prancing around the fountains.
The two figure equestrian composition is a memorial to two Kazakh heroes, Isatay Taymanuly and Makhambet Utemisuly. They were the first to raise a rebellion against the Russian rulers of Kazakhstan in 1836-37. While Isatay was captured in 1838 and decapitated, Makhambet, a poet in his own right, had to flee into exile. However, the rebellions they staged against Russian colonisation resulted in his assassination in 1846. The monument in the Square overlooks a lot of activity, particularly for children. At the time of visit, stagings were being erected for a major program over the weekend.
Just to the side of the square is the blue domed Imangali Mosque. The construction of the mosque which began in 1999 was completed in 2001. The mosque has a large dome and two minarets. The mid-sized mosque can accommodate up to 600 worshippers. Close to the mosque is a building that houses imams and their families. Centrally located, the mosque gets quite crowded during Friday prayers.
The Ural River divides the transcontinental city into its Asian and European parts. At the start of the bridge there are markers denoting the Asian and European continents. While crossing the river across the bridge one travels from one continent to another in a couple of minutes!
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