A city under the Trans-Ili Alatau,
birthplace of apples.

Somewhere between steppe and glacier(not Astana)

KBTU

Opera and Ballet Theatre

11 Opera*Abay*A ridge behind the roof ( 1941 ) ← All places
Yellow Opera and Ballet Theatre against a snowy mountain ridge

The first performance here was on 7 November 1941, and there is a mountain range behind the roof.

The theatre grew out of a music studio founded in the early 1930s. The building went up between 1936 and 1941, combining a classical colonnade with Kazakh motifs in the decoration.

Sources list the architects differently, but the name Prostakov appears in all of them.

The building looks best from far away and from above: on a clear day the whole Trans-Ili Alatau stands behind the yellow façade.

Building
1936–1941
First performance
7 November 1941
Address
110 Kabanbay Batyr Street
Fountain in front of the Abay theatre façade

Getting there

City centre, near Panfilov Street.

When to go

In the evening for a performance, in the daytime for the fountains and the mountain view.

Sources

Checked in November 2026. Access rules change, so confirm them before you go.

Photos: authors and licences.

ALI’DEV