The Almaty Way: a manifesto and 52 principles for living in Almaty

In short

A manifesto on how to live Almaty rather than tick it off.
Four axes of the city: Tau — mountains, Su — water, Dastarkhan — the table and its people, Uaqyt — time and layers.
Fifty-two principles, one per week. Week one starts on 21 March, during Nauryz, the Kazakh New Year.
Each principle comes with a weekly ritual that takes a minute to an hour.

Editorial team · 15 min read

This is our editorial reading of Almaty: how the city works and what it can teach someone who stays longer than a weekend. First a short manifesto, then the four axes, then fifty-two principles from Nauryz in March to the week before the next one. It is written today, by us. It is not ancient wisdom, and we don't put words in anyone else's mouth.

Manifesto

You step outside, in a hurry, checking your phone, and somewhere around the third step you look up. Above the roofs, the poplars and the wires stands a ridge, still white on top in May. The traffic is still there, the meeting is still at ten, but for a second everything gets smaller and calmer. In Almaty this happens almost every morning, if you look.

People often come here to get things done: Medeu in the morning, Kok-Tobe for sunset, the lake the next day, a photo by the sign and a flight home. The city slips past. It lives elsewhere: in the water running again along the streets in spring, in the tea bowl your host fills only halfway so they can pour again, in the week when the apple trees bloom and everything else can wait.

We see Almaty as a city you can practise. It has habits, and if you watch long enough they read like ways of living. We gathered them along four axes, named in Kazakh because the words fit best: Tau, the mountain; Su, water; Dastarkhan, the table; Uaqyt, time.

Tau: the mountain as a measure

The mountains to the south are visible from almost every street, and the city keeps checking itself against them. Uphill means towards the mountains, downhill means north, towards the steppe. If you can see every fold of the ridge, the air is clear; if the ridge is gone, the city is in haze. Next to the ridge, a meeting or a delay shrinks back to its real size.

The mountains start right behind the city, and it's tempting to go high straight away. Take it easy: the first trail can be short, mountain weather changes fast, and national park rules and routes are best checked on official pages before every outing.

Su: water and patience

In spring, water returns to the aryks, the shallow channels along the pavements that water the street trees. That's why central Almaty has shade in July. The snow that sits on the ridge in winter becomes the water of these rivers and channels in spring and summer.

Water teaches sabyr, patience. In a city of traffic jams and "I'll be there at seven" (meaning somewhere between seven and eight), this is a useful skill. Sit by Sairan reservoir or one of the rivers for twenty minutes and you'll see why.

Dastarkhan: the table and its people

Dastarkhan is the laid table and everything that happens around it. It's set with room to spare, as if someone else is about to walk in. Tea is poured a little at a time, so the conversation lasts longer and the guest keeps seeing they are welcome.

Almaty is a city of many people and many languages, and almost every street and dish has a story of someone arriving. At the Green Bazaar, ask a seller where something comes from and how it's cooked at home; the conversation is part of the purchase. And learn one word: rakhmet, thank you.

Uaqyt: time and layers

The year here starts in spring, at Nauryz on 22 March. Then come the apple blossom in April, acacia in May, the mountains in June, the bazaar and heat in July, watermelons in August, gold in September, memory in October, patience in November, long nights in December, ice in January and waiting in February.

The city has had four names: Zailiyskoe fort from 1854, Verny from 1867, Alma-Ata from 1921 and Almaty from 1993. The old name carries "alma", apple, and the wild apple Malus sieversii that grows in the foothills is considered by geneticists to be the main ancestor of the apples we eat.

Fifty-two weeks

Week one starts on 21 March, during Nauryz; week fifty-two ends the day before the next one. Pick the week you're in and try its ritual.

1. Start the year in spring

Week 1 · March · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekDuring Nauryz, taste nauryz-kozhe, the festive Nauryz soup, and say out loud one thing you are bringing into the new year.

2. Spring begins with a guest

Week 2 · March · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekInvite someone you haven't shared a table with for a long time over for tea, and pour their cup first.

3. A city with an apple in its name

Week 3 · April · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekFind one old apple tree in your neighbourhood and remember it: you will come back to it in blossom.

4. Blossom has to be caught

Week 4 · April · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekWhen the apple tree nearest your home blooms, put one task aside and stand under it for ten minutes.

5. You hear the aryk before you see it

Week 5 · April · Su

Ritual of the weekWalk one street of the Golden Square along its aryk, the irrigation channel, and count the trees it waters.

6. Check the day against the mountains

Week 6 · April · Tau

Ritual of the weekFor seven mornings in a row, look for the mountains first thing outside your door and notice whether there is snow on the peaks.

7. At the bazaar, you ask

Week 7 · May · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekAt the Green Bazaar, buy one thing only after asking the seller where it comes from and how it is cooked at home.

8. After the storm the mountains come closer

Week 8 · May · Su

Ritual of the weekAfter the first May thunderstorm, go outside and find a spot where you can see the whole ridge.

9. The city smells of its season

Week 9 · May · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekWalk one avenue slowly in the evening, without headphones, and write down three smells you met.

10. Altitude begins with the first trail

Week 10 · May · Tau

Ritual of the weekChoose one beginner walk in the foothills, check the weather and official rules beforehand, and be back before dark.

11. The city was built by many

Week 11 · June · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekAsk a neighbour or colleague where their family came from, and listen to the end without interrupting.

12. The mountain as a measure

Week 12 · June · Tau

Ritual of the weekWhen the day starts to press, go where the mountains are visible and look only at them for three minutes.

13. The long evening is a second day

Week 13 · June · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekSpend one June weekday evening outdoors until dark: a park, a bench, a walk with no plan.

14. Watch the water until it gets quiet

Week 14 · June · Su

Ritual of the weekSit by Sairan or one of the city's rivers for twenty minutes and follow only the water.

15. Climb at your own pace

Week 15 · June · Tau

Ritual of the weekOn any climb, stairs or trail, walk at a pace where you can still talk calmly.

16. Tea is poured a little at a time

Week 16 · July · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekHost a tea at home where you pour a little at a time and keep your guests' cups from running dry.

17. Heat rearranges the day

Week 17 · July · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekFor one week, do the important things before eleven in the morning and go out walking after seven in the evening.

18. The table is laid with room to spare

Week 18 · July · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekLay the table for one more person than you expect, and invite someone who will be glad of it.

19. Shade is planted in advance

Week 19 · July · Su

Ritual of the weekFind the oldest tree within half an hour's walk and stand in its shade.

20. A watermelon is cut for everyone

Week 20 · August · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekBuy a big watermelon and cut it where there are people: in the courtyard, at work, in the park.

21. Stars beyond the city lights

Week 21 · August · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekOn a clear August night, drive away from the city lights for at least an hour, lie on your back and let your eyes adjust.

22. Store the summer

Week 22 · August · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekMake one jar of jam or one bag of dried fruit and write the date on it.

23. See the city from above

Week 23 · August · Tau

Ritual of the weekGo up Kok-Tobe or any high point and find your own street.

24. Notice the end of summer

Week 24 · September · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekFind the first yellow leaf and put it in the book you are reading.

25. Gold does not last

Week 25 · September · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekOn a clear day, go out to a street lined with big trees an hour before sunset and walk it to the end.

26. A place tastes of its season

Week 26 · September · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekBuy three different local apples at the market and compare them at one table with someone else.

27. One spot for the whole year

Week 27 · September · Tau

Ritual of the weekPick a spot with a mountain view, photograph it now, and come back with your camera once a month until next autumn.

28. Sadness is a season too

Week 28 · September · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekWrite a short letter to your summer self: what was good, and what you are taking forward.

29. A city with four names

Week 29 · October · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekOn a walk, find one building much older than you and find out which name the city had when it was built.

30. Ask those who remember

Week 30 · October · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekAsk an older relative or neighbour what the city was like when they were young, and write down one story.

31. The courtyard lives slower than the street

Week 31 · October · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekStep into one courtyard you have walked past for a long time and sit there for ten minutes.

32. An evening in the hall

Week 32 · October · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekBuy a ticket for one evening at the Philharmonic, the Opera and Ballet Theatre or a drama theatre, and arrive half an hour early to take in the hall.

33. The mountains announce winter early

Week 33 · November · Tau

Ritual of the weekWhen you see snow on the ridge, mark the date in your calendar and check next year whether it matches.

34. Sabyr

Week 34 · November · Su

Ritual of the weekChoose one wait that usually annoys you — traffic, a queue, a friend who says 'I'll be there at seven' — and live through it calmly without taking out your phone.

35. A hazy city is still the city

Week 35 · November · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekOn a day when the mountains are hidden, take five photos of what is close, within arm's reach.

36. Hot soup for two

Week 36 · November · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekCook a big pot of soup and take a bowl to someone who is having a hard or lonely time.

37. The bathhouse gives back warmth

Week 37 · December · Su

Ritual of the weekGo to a bathhouse with someone close and don't talk about work once all evening.

38. Ice beneath the mountains

Week 38 · December · Tau

Ritual of the weekPut on skates at any open city rink, even if you can't skate, and do one lap without trying to look confident. If skating isn't for you, find a frozen aryk and spend five minutes watching the ice from the pavement: cracks, bubbles, the water moving underneath. Medeu itself can wait until the rink reopens after reconstruction. Check rink opening hours in 2GIS.

39. Some dates are met in silence

Week 39 · December · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekIn mid-December, keep a minute of silence and read about the events of December 1986 in a reliable historical source.

40. The long night as a reserve

Week 40 · December · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekIn the week of the longest night, go to bed an hour earlier than usual twice.

41. There is room for everyone at the holiday table

Week 41 · December · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekInvite one person to your holiday table who would otherwise see in the New Year alone.

42. Trust the ice

Week 42 · January · Su

Ritual of the weekOn the rink or a snowy street, notice the moment your body stops being afraid of slipping, and remember the feeling.

43. Everyone notices a clear day

Week 43 · January · Tau

Ritual of the weekOn the first clear day of January, put one task aside and spend an hour somewhere with a view of the mountains.

44. Recipes pass from hand to hand

Week 44 · January · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekAsk an older family member to cook one dish with you, and write the recipe down in their words.

45. Home is a practice too

Week 45 · January · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekMove one thing at home so that you can see the window and the sky better from your table or chair.

46. Water flows under the ice

Week 46 · February · Su

Ritual of the weekWrite down one thing that is quietly ripening in you, and do nothing about it yet.

47. The mountain stores water for summer

Week 47 · February · Tau

Ritual of the weekOn a clear day, look at the snowy peaks and find the river or aryk nearest your home where that water will arrive in spring.

48. Say thank you out loud

Week 48 · February · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekEvery day for a week, say 'rakhmet', thank you, to someone you usually don't thank: a driver, a shop assistant, a street sweeper.

49. Spring arrives on a sunny wall

Week 49 · February · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekFind a sunny wall on your street and stand by it at noon for five minutes with your eyes closed.

50. The last snow leaves as water

Week 50 · March · Su

Ritual of the weekFind the last snowdrift in the shade and follow where its water goes.

51. Thank the winter

Week 51 · March · Uaqyt

Ritual of the weekWrite down three things that helped you through this winter, and one you will take into the next.

52. Tidy your life for Nauryz

Week 52 · March · Dastarkhan

Ritual of the weekIn the last week before Nauryz, repay one debt or write to someone you have quarrelled with.

Practical notes for visitors

If you're visiting for a few days, pick the principles of your month: they follow the seasons.
Most rituals need nothing but a walk, a cup of tea or a view of the mountains. None needs Russian or Kazakh, though 'rakhmet' (thank you) goes a long way.
For anything in the mountains, check the weather and the national park rules on official pages before you go, and be back before dark.
Entry rules, registration and visas change. Check the official sources for your passport before the trip.

Questions

What is the Almaty Way?

It's our editorial reading of the city: a manifesto, four axes and fifty-two principles, one for each week of the year, each with a small ritual you can do on your own.

Why does the year start in March?

In Kazakhstan, Nauryz, the spring equinox festival, is celebrated on 22 March and is greeted as the start of a new year. So week one of the Almaty Way starts on 21 March.

Is this traditional Kazakh wisdom?

No. The principles are written today and rest on what you can see in the city yourself: the mountains, the water, the table, the seasons. Traditions we mention, such as Nauryz and tea with guests, are described as living practice.

How we know this

Checked September 29, 2026: City names: Zailiyskoe fort (1854), Verny (1867), Alma-Ata (1921), Almaty (1993) — Wikipedia (ru), «Алматы», Malus sieversii as the main ancestor of the domesticated apple: Velasco R. et al., Nature Genetics, 2010, Nauryz in Kazakhstan is celebrated on 22 March — Wikipedia (ru), «Наурыз».