Esik Lake, Kazakhstan

Esik is a town in Almaty Region of Kazakhstan, the administrative center of Enbekshikazakh District. It is located on the Issyk River, at the foot of the Tian Shan, 53 km east of Almaty and 112 km over the mountains from Issyk Kul Lake. 

It was founded by Cossacks in 1858 as stanitsa Nadezhdinskaya. The Issyk kurgan of the famous "Golden Man" is nearby.

A cataphract-style parade armour from gold scales of Sakas' King found in Issyk in Kazakhstan in 1970

The nearby Issyk Lake (not to be confused with the much greater Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan) is mostly famous for the way it was created (as a result of an ancient natural landslide damming a valley), destroyed (another natural landslide destroying that dam in 1963, with a subsequent damage to the city of Esik as well), and re-created (with human help).

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Lana for this beautiful card of a hot air balloon 

in Kazakhstan!

Sent: 3 September 2014   Received: 13 October 2014   Travelled: 40 days

Kazakhstan

Thanks to Oxana for the surprise card from Kazakhstan!

Sent: 8 September 2014   Received: 19 November 2014   Travelled: 71 days

Hunting with eagles

Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian steppe, practiced by Kazakh and Kyrgyz people in contemporary Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as diasporas in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, China. Though these Turkic people are most famous for hunting with golden eagles, they have been known to train northern goshawks, peregrine falcons, saker falcons, and more

During the communist period in Kazakhstan, many Kazakhs fled for Mongolia,settling down in Bayan Ulgii, an area that has been designated for the Kazakhs of Mongolia today. Kazakhs (Altaic Kazakhs or Altai-Kazakhs) living in Bayan-Ölgii Province of Mongolia continue to hunt with eagles today. There are an estimated 250 eagle hunters in the Western Mongolian province.Their falconry custom, so-called 'horse-riding eagle falconry', is unique in practice only with trained Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) on horseback. Their hunting target is almost limited to Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) or Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac).In the first week of October, 70 eagle hunters gather for the annual Golden Eagle Festival of Mongolia  They use eagles to hunt foxes and hare during the cold winter months when it is easier to see the gold colored foxes against the snow. Many Kazakh traditions have been preserved by the Kazakhs in Mongolia, eagle hunting being amongst them. Although the Kazakh government has made efforts to lure the practitioners of these Kazakh traditions back to Kazakhstan, most Kazakhs have remained in Mongolia.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Lyubov for this amazing Eagle Hunting postcard and the matching Eagle stamp!!

Sent: 19 November 2015   Received: 7 January 2016   Travelled: 49 days

Syvato-Voznesensk Cathedral

 Oooh such a surprise to received this card from Kazakhstan!

The other highlight is the 2013 "The Postal Van" stamp series.

I know have 3 different Europa Postal Van stamps :D

Thank you Oxana!!

Sent: 22 February 2014,   Received: 18 March 2014,   Travelled: 24 days

Kazakh New Year

Kazakhs celebrating Nauryz-Zoroastrian New Year on March 22

Thank you Oxana for another amazing card!

Sent: 27 April 2013

Besnatyr mausoleum

Besnatyr mausoleum, Kyzylarai, Central Kazakhstan



Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country by land area and the ninth largest country in the world; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres is largest than Western Europe. It has borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and also adjoins a large part of the Caspian Sea. The terrain of Kazakstan includes flatlands, steppe, taiga, rock canyons, hills,deltas, snow-capped mountains and deserts.

 Thank you very much Oxana for my first card from Kazakhstan!

Sent: 8 March 2013,   Received: 24 April 2013,   Travelled: 47 days