The "Big Apple" of Kazakhstan

I'm preparing for our next trip to Kazakhstan, in less than a month and came across this interesting bit of information about Almaty:

History records that the current city of Almaty was built on top of an ancient Kazakh settlement which dates from the 3rd century BC. Over the years it has had many names – Vernyi, later Alma-Ata and now - Almaty. At one time a big and bustling city on the ancient Silk Road, ancient Almaty ultimately fell into decline and then that ancient city was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century AD and lay in ruins. Finally, in 1854, the Russians founded a frontier fort here and named it Zailiyskoe. A year later, it was renamed Vernoye, under which name it existed until 1921.

Today Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan with about 2 million inhabitants, is known as the commercial heart of Kazakhstan and was for many years Kazakhstan’s governmental capital. Due to its location right next to the Tien Shan Mountains, it became known as one of the most beautiful cities of central Asia. When the Turkistan-Siberian Railroad was built in the 1920s, it became a major terminal station. In 1929 Almaty was made the capital of the Kazak Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) and remained the governmental capital of Kazakhstan until July 1998 when the capital was moved to Astana.

Almaty in Kazakh means "Father of Apples" or another translation is “Rich in Apples”, and there is speculation that Almaty was home to the ancestral apple trees that now grow throughout the world. So Almaty can rightfully claim the title of "The Big Apple" alongside New York City.