Academy of Sciences
Tour

Wander the empty halls of Almaty’s Soviet-era “Temple of Science,” visiting mini-museums dedicated to archaeology and rare books while marveling at the building’s stunning murals, mosaics and stained glass.

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The Academy of Sciences

A baroquely-ornamented Stalinist edifice occupying an entire city block in Almaty’s central Golden Quarter, the Academy of Science was the center of scholarhood in Soviet Kazakhstan, a “Temple of Science” whose hallowed halls were reserved for Academicians, a holy priesthood who ranks were awarded to only the most learned (and well-connected). Research institutes under the umbrella of the Academy studied everything from Oriental poetry to theoretical physics, and the Central Scholarly Library of the Academy had the most extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts in the country.

Nowadays, the Academy receives only a fraction of its prior funding, and its hallways are eerily empty. Perhaps because of this, the building is overlooked by most locals and ignored by guidebooks — yet we believe it is one of Almaty’s true treasures.

On our tour, we begin by exploring a pair of landmarks adjacent to the Academy, the quirky Zodiac Fountain and the Chokan Valikhanov monument. After deciphering the building’s beguiling mix of classical and Islamic architecture, we head inside and experiment with the unforgettable acoustics of the yurt-shaped lobby. Next, we visit a series of rarely-visited mini-museums, dedicated to rare books, natural history and archaeology, and get rare access to a grand theater with triumphal ceiling murals. In the 1980s annex known as the “House of Scholars,” we explore the world of Soviet “monumental art” - mosaics, murals and the most amazing stained glass window you’ll ever see.

What You'll See