‘Kilometer Zero’ marker installed in Kazakh capital

Kilometer Zero – the sign marking the starting point of road distances appeared in the Kazakh capital. It was installed in one of the Astana parks, Jibek Joly reports.

So far, 17 cities are marked on it. Nine of them are sister cities, two are major Kazakh cities, as well as other metropolises and capitals of the world, such as Moscow and Beijing. The organizers promise that in the future, more pointers will be added to the stele.

“In the past, there used to be these sticks around the yurt that the horses would be tied to. Figure “zero” symbolizes this ring, and at the same time the zero kilometer, from which the travelers used to diverge to other localities, and it also represents the Kazakh shanyrak. It is very symbolic that the sign shows the sister cities of our capital, important cities that took part in the formation of our country, and sights that could be interesting for the tourists who come to us,” said Talgat Amanbayev, Chairperson of the Kazakh Tourism National Company.