For many centuries horse-riding peoples populated the steppes to the north of today's Almaty and the green hills to the south, but the city itself formerly known as 'Alma-Ata' is not even 180years old.

Almaty's initial development was closely linked to the expansion of the Russian Empire. Today Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest metropolis, a vibrant milieu where the encounter between different cultures is also reflected in the architecture.

Orthodox cathedrals and mosques, Soviet Neoclassicism and monumental mosaic art, Brutalism and brand-new skyscrapers: this book presents more than 100 buildings from the past and present. Author Edda Schlager has spent two decades in Almaty, covering the transformation of the city and the country as a journalist for international media. Critical essays by and interviews with local actors contribute to her broad, kaleidoscopic panorama of one of the most fascinating Central Asian metropolises.