The new Kazakh capital city of Astana is dotted with remarkable pieces of modern architecture, of which Khan Shatyr is the crowning jewel. A huge transparent tent, 150 m high and covering 140,000 m², which has been purposefully built to give the population of Astana a relief from the harsh winter climate of Northern Kazakhstan. Khan Shatyr was designed by British architect Norman Foster, who is also responsible for the pyramidal Palace of Peace and Reconciliation – another one of Astana’s architectural marvels.

Inside the huge structure of Khan Shatyr are a number of entertainment options, such as a park, a boating river, a minigolf course, a shopping centre and even an indoor beach resort. Regardless of the outside temperature extremes, the internal temperature is moderate year-round, varying between 15 and 30° C, which is achieved by the use of the infiltrated sunlight, as well as air heating and cooling systems.

Khan Shatyr was unveiled by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2006 and was opened in 2010, on the 70th birthday of Nazarbayev. Almost a contained city to itself, Khan Shatyr provides a near-vacation destination in the center of Astana.