Almaty is a wonderful city-garden, which arose in the paradise of the mighty spurs of the Tien Shan. The snowy peaks of the silently wise Alatau, leaving in the skies, have been looking at the city at their foot in a paternally patronizing and majestic way for many centuries. The fragrance of rose gardens, the emerald cover of the famous Alatau firs and poplars, the bewitching murmur of swift mountain rivers, the spray of fountains, the life-giving coolness of ditches, the abundance of oriental noisy bazaars, the magnificence of palaces and city squares leave an indelible impression in the hearts of visitors to Almaty.
