Gazing At Almaty's Many Murals And Mosaics

The Soviets commissioned many murals and mosaics in Almaty and the Kazakhs have continued that tradition. You've got apartment facade blank spaces to fill, museums to promote, culture, propaganda messages to spread. Gotta get the big statements out there.

Heroic battles and fighting for a lady are timeless themes. Detail of a mosaic on the front entrance facade of the Almaty Hotel. Don't tickle the horse.

Have good hobbies. And striped socks. And always have the symbol of Almaty, apples, nearby. Rock it. A mashup of a tribute to the Soviet space program at Baikonur and Van Gogh's trippy Starry Night painting. Can you hear me, Major Tom?

Too hip to understand. Retro cassettes, long legged camel, just a whole bunch of Pure Joy and Fun.

Traditional tropes. Impressive, high relief frieze on the side of a movie theater. The theme is 50 years of the Soviet Union. A more recent mural, depicting the joys of motherhood. And serving up your eensy newborn in a shallow bowl.

Colorful evolution. The entrance to the Biological museum has a great mosaic, a fantastical look at the progress of man and the universe.

Go out and do sport. Soviet graphics of athletes competing, nicely abstracted. The mosaic was deteriorating on an apartment building and concerned folks had it removed, restored and relocated near Almaty's famous mountainside skating rink. "Can I interest you in some earrings?" Detail from a mosaic at the top of Kok Tobe.

Another mosaic at the Almaty Hotel. The whole, grand, local history is depicted, from Silk Road era yurts and camel caravans to the big, modern city. A nice journey.