The impressive Akorda Palace, which means “white horde” in Turkic, is the official residence of the President of Kazakhstan. The giant building, built in the best traditions of the palace style, has become the most noticeable object that appeared in the new capital of the country at the beginning of the 21st century.

And the most pleasant thing for residents and guests of Nur-Sultan (Astana) is that not only official delegations and high-ranking officials can stroll through its luxurious halls. Adopting the traditions of Buckingham Palace and the White House, the Akorda residence is open to tourists, but you just can’t get there from the street, informs portal Novate.

In connection with the transfer of the official capital from Almaty to Astana, it became necessary to build government buildings and the presidential residence. In September 2001, on the left bank of the Ishim River, the first stone was laid in a huge palace, called “Akorda” (ancient Turk. Ak – “white”, ordu – “headquarters, residence of the khan, palace). In the old days, this name was given to the Khanate, which is part of the Golden Horde.

The white color for the Turkic culture means sacred, which is why it is reflected in the name, and it is preferred in the color scheme.

The name contains the direction in which the residence was designed. Italian marble, the best granite, expensive furniture, giant crystal chandeliers, valuable wood, large-scale glazing, an abundance of plaster decor and gilding, many works of art – all this was selected in accordance with the color (only light colors), not forgetting the national theme.

Well-known European and local architects worked on the design project of the palace. Thanks to the efforts of an international team of authors, the decoration of the main residence of the country boasts oriental luxury, intricate national ornaments that adorn the flooring, friezes of columns and staircase elements, as well as European sophistication.

The presidential residence is the main object of the architectural ensemble, which includes the entire surrounding area: the central square at the main entrance, fountains, alleys, flower beds, driveways, parking. The height of the building itself is 86 meters (together with the spire), there are 7 floors in total – five of them rise above the ground, two are underground. At the same time, the height of the first floor reaches 12 meters, all the rest (including underground ones) – 5 meters each. Everyone who was lucky enough to visit the most spectacular and most expensive building of the republic notes that, starting from the threshold, an unreal fairy tale begins.

Hall for solemn meetings is located on the first floor of the residence

Central front hall 12 meters high

In the main hall, a crystal chandelier is fixed at a height of 17 meters and weighs 3.5 tons.

As expected, the entire first floor was given over to the organization of the main hall for official receptions (its area reaches 1.8 thousand square meters) with the obligatory presence of a guard of honor. The main highlight of the hall, in addition to the abundance of marble and majestic columns, is a giant crystal chandelier fixed in the center of the dome, which goes up another floor.

On the ground floor there is also a Ceremonial Hall for holding official meetings of the President of the Republic (and on his behalf), in addition to the necessary paraphernalia and furniture, there is an orchestral area for musical accompaniment.

The press conference room is also located on the first floor.

The hall for holding press conferences with media representatives boasts excellent acoustics (due to a domed ceiling and special equipment), comfortable yellow chairs with headphone ports built into the armrests, allowing you to hear simultaneous translation.

Meetings are also held in the winter garden, but in a closer circle

There is also a winter garden, where the elected can communicate with the president himself or his representatives in a more exotic setting.

The Presidential Administration is located on the second floor of the residence.

Two marble staircases with red carpets lead to the second floor, although there is also a luxurious elevator. A business atmosphere reigns here, since the entire floor is occupied by the Presidential Administration: the press service, the protocol service, the office and many other services that provide a high level of official receptions and meetings.

Some halls after a recent update

On the third floor there are rooms for working negotiations and meetings. Each of them has its own purpose and design. The main hall is considered to be the Marble Hall, where the signing of agreements/documents drawn up during official visits and summits takes place. In the same place, credentials are presented to ambassadors of foreign states and especially distinguished fellow citizens are awarded with the highest awards and honorary titles.

The oval hall of the presidential residence got its name from the table, not the shape of the room

Interior of the Marble and Golden Halls for meetings and negotiations

Also on the third floor there is the Fireplace, or Golden Hall, which is used for negotiations and meetings of heads of state and government in a narrow circle, the Oval Hall, where meetings of official delegations take place, the Extended Negotiations Hall, the Security Council meeting room, guest rooms and auxiliary rooms.

East hall introduces high-ranking guests to national traditions

But the most impressive is still the East Hall, which is located in the center. Due to the domed ceiling, it looks like a huge yurt, into which there are not doors, but a lot of arched openings. This is a recreation area, so there are no usual tables and chairs here, but only low soft sofas (subsequently replaced by spectacular chairs) and elegant tables created in the traditional oriental style are arranged in a circle.

The 4th floor also boasts a domed hall, where working meetings of the President with representatives of ministries and departments, sometimes with heads of other states are held. A distinctive feature of this room are green marble columns, with 14 pairs of the lower tier having a dark shade, and bright green columns adorn the top, on which the impressive arcade rests.

On the fourth floor, there is another meeting room, only it is intended for meetings with the heads of structural divisions of the Presidential Administration and for business meetings with representatives of the business elite of the republic. There is also a Hall of Negotiations and the Presidential Library, which contains unique collections of books and ancient manuscripts.

The residence “Akorda” has another winter garden with the composition “Scythian Motifs” by Nurlan Bolatbekov in the center