Unsolved Mysteries
(Неразгаданные Тайны)
Walking Almaty, there's a lot of time to ask questions, and sometimes there are mysteries that go unsolved. Local Almatians or in-the-know expats, can you help satisfy my curiosity? Find a topic you know about and leave a comment with your insight!
Гуляя по Алмате, сотни вопросов возникают в твоей голове, и порой некоторые тайны остаются неразгаданными. Местные Алматинцы или осведомленные иногородние жители, не могли бы вы помочь мне насытить мое любопытство? Найдите тему, которая наиболее близка к вам и оставьте комментарии!
Гуляя по Алмате, сотни вопросов возникают в твоей голове, и порой некоторые тайны остаются неразгаданными. Местные Алматинцы или осведомленные иногородние жители, не могли бы вы помочь мне насытить мое любопытство? Найдите тему, которая наиболее близка к вам и оставьте комментарии!
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The jury is still out on this one. One reader suggested that it's handled by the Ministry of Culture, while another says that there are specific departments in the city hall for these things. Still waiting for an exact answer!
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I got a lot of great answers for this question, but I'm still not quite satisfied. One reader said that aboveground lines are considered safer, as the soil can help corrode the metal and lead to leaks. Another said that this style is used because otherwise excavations for road construction would take too long. Similar answers: they're easier to maintain, easier to access, and cheaper.
Yet it still seems to me that there are other considerations that are being ignored. First is the factor of aesthetics - they're just ugly! The other is safety: can't cars very easily knock these guys over?
Yet it still seems to me that there are other considerations that are being ignored. First is the factor of aesthetics - they're just ugly! The other is safety: can't cars very easily knock these guys over?
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I haven't quite gotten the answer I'm looking for on this one. Readers wrote in to tell me things I basically already knew, like that "dry aryks aren't connected to the irrigation system, and function as storm drains." Well, it's clear that some lines have been disconnected, but what I wonder is, why? How was this chosen? Who's in charge? Was there a time when they were all full?
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I got a handful of identical answers for this query, and they all said that the concrete columns [анкерные столбы; ankernye stolby] are there in order to support the wooden pole in case it "rots." But aren't wooden columns used all over the world without a problem? Is there some pest issue, like termites, that is especially prevalent in Almaty? And why couldn't they just use concrete poles then?
A tantalizing answer to that last question was preemptively offered by a reader who wrote, "Because previously they couldn't produce concrete pillars of the desired length." But that just leaves me more confused: Why not?
A tantalizing answer to that last question was preemptively offered by a reader who wrote, "Because previously they couldn't produce concrete pillars of the desired length." But that just leaves me more confused: Why not?
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One person wrote in to suggest that the homes were sometimes split up by the owners themselves, so that they could rent one side of the house out in order to make extra money. I still think there must be more of a historical reason behind this phenomenon, though.
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Okay, so I've learned that perhaps this antenna doesn't quite have its own name, but I'd still like to learn more about how it's put together. I did learn that it's "200 percent hand made. True soviet. From the elementary of knowledge of physics."
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A few readers wrote in to tell me that in certain areas, houses weren't connected to any central gas system, and gas had to be delivered in tanks, or ballony [баллоны]. As I understand it, the numbers listed on these signs were either a kind of subscription code for the household that wanted these tanks, or numbers corresponding to the certain kind of gas that the homeowner required.
I'm still hoping for more information. How exactly did the system work?
I'm still hoping for more information. How exactly did the system work?
Mystery Solved!
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Why do some sheds have windows? (Почему в некоторых сараях есть окна?) |
Here is a mystery that was pretty satisfactorily solved. There were two main answers given, and both of them seem likely.
First, people pointed out that theses "sheds", or sarai [сараи], are not just "sheds" but uglyarki [углярки], structures used specifically for storing coal. The windows are there so that coal can be easily loaded into it from the street, perhaps from a truck.
Another answer was that some of these buildings might be so-called vremyanki [времянки], or "temporary housing," built when a family is constructing or remodeling their home. After the construction is finished, these vremyanki are then used as summer kitchens or storage spaces. This was an interesting piece of information, but it seems it doesn't apply to most of the shed windows I've photographed, as the sheds are so small that they would be impossible to live in.
First, people pointed out that theses "sheds", or sarai [сараи], are not just "sheds" but uglyarki [углярки], structures used specifically for storing coal. The windows are there so that coal can be easily loaded into it from the street, perhaps from a truck.
Another answer was that some of these buildings might be so-called vremyanki [времянки], or "temporary housing," built when a family is constructing or remodeling their home. After the construction is finished, these vremyanki are then used as summer kitchens or storage spaces. This was an interesting piece of information, but it seems it doesn't apply to most of the shed windows I've photographed, as the sheds are so small that they would be impossible to live in.
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Why are some roofs three-sided? (Почему некоторые крыши трёхскатные?) |
After getting so many of the same answers on this one, it all seemed to obvious! In every case, you can see that the part of the home under the third pitch of the roof is in fact an addition, or pristroika [пристройка], built some time after the rest of the home was constructed. Instead of rebuilding a whole new roof, people just add an addition to the roof with a more gradual slope. This case was interesting, because it seems to tell me something about personal finance in Kazakhstan. Once upon a time people build modestly, but as the country gained wealth, people found that they had the resources to expand their homes. And thus we find this unusual trend!
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Why are trees whitewashed on streets but not in parks? (Почему побелены деревья вдоль улиц, но не те которые в парках?) |
This question invited answers both cynical and pragmatic. The cynics wrote that only the trees lining the streets are whitewashed because those are the trees that are seen by the people in power (the mayor, or the president). Someone even gave me a word for this: pokazukha [показуха], or "When people wants to show what they don't really do."
Someone else answered that different city services are handled by different departments, and perhaps the roadworkers just work harder than those who work in the parks!
And last, I got an interesting theory that whitewashing is supposed to deter certain pests, and these pests spread along the roadways. Therefore, it's these trees that need more protection.
What do you think? Is this mystery solved?
Someone else answered that different city services are handled by different departments, and perhaps the roadworkers just work harder than those who work in the parks!
And last, I got an interesting theory that whitewashing is supposed to deter certain pests, and these pests spread along the roadways. Therefore, it's these trees that need more protection.
What do you think? Is this mystery solved?
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What is this kind of decorative plaster called? (Как называется эта декоративная штукатурка?) |
This one got me lots of one-word answers: "Shuba!" [шуба]. Normally, a shuba is a fur coat, and it seems that here it's used metaphorically to mean an ornamental layer. This isn't the first time I've heard the metaphor: there's a famous Russian salad called "herring in shuba", where diced fish is dressed up in onions and beets.
The problem is that because shuba has such a broad meaning, my normal technique of just googling stuff gets me nowhere with this term. How can I find out more about shuba as an Almaty art form?
The problem is that because shuba has such a broad meaning, my normal technique of just googling stuff gets me nowhere with this term. How can I find out more about shuba as an Almaty art form?
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Why are access ramps so poorly built? Are they required by law? (Почему эти пандусы так ужасно построены? Они делают подобный "шедевр" только чтобы соблюсти закон? |
Everybody basically confirmed that yes, these are just done to adhere to some law. I liked the way one person put it: they were dlya galochki [для галочки], which literally means "for checkmarks", as in, something just for show, something done just to tick off a box.
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Why do wooden gates have roofs, and why do they have metal beams on the bottom? (Почему у этих деревянных забор есть крыши и балки внизу?) |
For this question, I got one of the most tantalizing answers - that this is in fact a Tatar style of gate! "It's one of the main old styles in Almaty, often found in historic parts of the city, where Tatars used them to show off their wealth." Hm, very interesting! But unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything else to corroborate this, or anything on Tatar gates in general.
As for the gates and beams themselves, people wrote in to say that they are there to protect the wood in the gates from getting soft and rotting.
As for the gates and beams themselves, people wrote in to say that they are there to protect the wood in the gates from getting soft and rotting.
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What's inside utility boxes? (Что внутри этих ящиков?) |
Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. "Switchboards!", everybody said. Well, duh. But I guess I still wonder how exactly these boxes fit into the whole electrical system. As one person noted "If something happens to one of these boxes, then the power will go out in all the buildings nearby."
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How and how often is trash taken out from the "chastny sektor"? (Каким образом и как часто собирается мусор в частом секторе?) |
Perhaps this was another obvious question - everybody wrote in to say that, well of course, a trash truck comes and picks it up and takes it to the dump once a week. But in some places I've just never seen trucks, and the streets seem too narrow. Am I on to something?
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I liked this answer: "These are garages, but people made them into storage spaces, because people in Kazakhstan love to hoard stuff. They park their cars, meanwhile, on the playground! Now that's logic!"
But anyways, the sheds I had in mind are definitely too narrow to be garages. One reader had some valuable insight, writing that apartments here are very small and before there was centralized heating, these sheds were used to store firewood and coal.
But anyways, the sheds I had in mind are definitely too narrow to be garages. One reader had some valuable insight, writing that apartments here are very small and before there was centralized heating, these sheds were used to store firewood and coal.
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Why do second-floor apartments need security bars? (Зачем нужны решетки квартирам на втором этаже?) |
The answers here were all similar and sardonic: "Because good thieves can climb up walls!"
But one reader gave some socio-historical context: "
Because in the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, crime levels went up, especially theft. Thieves can climb to the second floor very easily, if they have a high enough ladder."
But one reader gave some socio-historical context: "
Because in the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, crime levels went up, especially theft. Thieves can climb to the second floor very easily, if they have a high enough ladder."
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Do girls really find graffiti romantic? (Девушки на самом деле считают, что граффити романтичен?) |
This seemed to sum up the answers: "YES!!!) It's like - OMG, it's only for me)"
But another person was a little more thoughtful in their response:
"Well it depends! Usually in the Block everyone knows who did the graffiti so it kind also depends on reputation of that person so it can be sometimes really cool but just for teens. But back to the questions, yes, to be honest girls find romantic anything which guys do:)"
But another person was a little more thoughtful in their response:
"Well it depends! Usually in the Block everyone knows who did the graffiti so it kind also depends on reputation of that person so it can be sometimes really cool but just for teens. But back to the questions, yes, to be honest girls find romantic anything which guys do:)"
When we were kids, we would also climb up these mailboxes looking for "foreign treasure." And I think it wasn't just kids who did that! After a while, everybody realized that a package or a letter would never find your address with our curiosity.
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Did neighborhoods once lack running water, or why were hand pumps installed? (Было ли время когда в некоторых районах отсутствала проточная вода, или почему были установлены эти колонки?) |
Some good long answers confirmed my suspicion:
"Yes, many of small houses didn't have running water in 30-40s and some of them even in 50s, so hand pumps are still there. Some of them even still work. Just in case."
"The pumps are from that part of the 20th century when running water was just starting to appear in different parts of the city, but couldn't be found yet in every home. In the 1990s, when buildings sometimes had water shortages, the water in these pumps were still running and people used them to get water. "
"As I remember myself it was affordable drinking water in hand pumps and it wasn't connected with lack of running water at least at 90s As a kids we were running and playing all day on the streets and when we wanted water we drunk it or wash our hand in hand pumps. In my opinion it is like in Rome now there is no problems with running water but at the same time you can find a lot of hand pumps on the street However can't say nothing about 80s or earlier...may be it was different.."
"Yes, many of small houses didn't have running water in 30-40s and some of them even in 50s, so hand pumps are still there. Some of them even still work. Just in case."
"The pumps are from that part of the 20th century when running water was just starting to appear in different parts of the city, but couldn't be found yet in every home. In the 1990s, when buildings sometimes had water shortages, the water in these pumps were still running and people used them to get water. "
"As I remember myself it was affordable drinking water in hand pumps and it wasn't connected with lack of running water at least at 90s As a kids we were running and playing all day on the streets and when we wanted water we drunk it or wash our hand in hand pumps. In my opinion it is like in Rome now there is no problems with running water but at the same time you can find a lot of hand pumps on the street However can't say nothing about 80s or earlier...may be it was different.."
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Why do people install doorbells that aren't weatherproof? (Почему люди устанавливают дверные звонки которые не погодоустойчивые?) |
Readers here were pretty dry in their answers: "Because people in Kazakhstan are not known for being practical!"
And one suggested that this trend is now in the past: "Now you can buy anything you like! But before we bought what was on sale) And it was no waterproof doorbells)"
And one suggested that this trend is now in the past: "Now you can buy anything you like! But before we bought what was on sale) And it was no waterproof doorbells)"
