The impressive Akorda Palace, which means “white horde” in Turkic, is the official home of the President of Kazakhstan. The large building, constructed in the palace style, has become the most prominent structure in the new capital of the country in the early 21st century.
And the best thing for residents and visitors of Nur-Sultan (Astana) is that not only official delegations and high-ranking officials can walk through its lavish halls. Following the traditions of Buckingham Palace and the White House, the Akorda residence is open to tourists, but you can't enter from the street, reports portal Novate.
Due to the relocation of the official capital from Almaty to Astana, it was necessary to construct government buildings and the presidential residence. In September 2001, on the left bank of the Ishim River, the first stone was laid for a vast palace, named “Akorda” (ancient Turk. Ak – “white”, ordu – “headquarters, residence of the khan, palace). In ancient times, this name referred to the Khanate, a part of the Golden Horde.
The name indicates the direction in which the residence was designed. Italian marble, top-quality granite, luxurious furniture, huge crystal chandeliers, valuable wood, extensive glazing, an abundance of plaster decor and gilding, numerous works of art – all of this was chosen according to the color scheme (only light colors), while keeping the national theme in mind.
Renowned European and local architects collaborated on the design of the palace. Thanks to the efforts of an international team of creators, the decoration of the country's main residence features exotic luxury with intricate national patterns adorning the flooring, friezes of columns, staircase elements, and European elegance.
The presidential residence is the focal point of the architectural complex, which encompasses the entire surrounding area: the main square at the main entrance, fountains, pathways, flower beds, driveways, parking. The height of the building itself is 86 meters (including the spire), with a total of 7 floors – five above ground and two underground. The first floor alone reaches a height of 12 meters, while the others (including the underground levels) are each 5 meters. Those fortunate enough to visit the grandest and most expensive building in the republic have noted that an otherworldly fairy tale commences upon crossing the threshold.
As expected, the entire first floor was dedicated to the creation of the main hall for official receptions (covering an area of 1.8 thousand square meters) with the obligatory presence of a guard of honor. The main centerpiece of the hall, aside from the abundance of marble and grand columns, is an enormous crystal chandelier suspended in the center of the dome, extending up to another floor.
The ground floor also houses a Ceremonial Hall for conducting official meetings of the President of the Republic (on his behalf as well), featuring the necessary equipment and furniture, in addition to an orchestra area for musical accompaniment.
The hall for holding press conferences with media representatives boasts excellent acoustics (due to a domed ceiling and special equipment), comfortable yellow chairs with headphone ports built into the armrests, allowing you to hear simultaneous translation.
There is also a winter garden, where the elected can communicate with the president himself or his representatives in a more exotic setting.
Two marble staircases with red carpets lead to the second floor, although there is also a luxurious elevator. A business atmosphere reigns here, since the entire floor is occupied by the Presidential Administration: the press service, the protocol service, the office and many other services that provide a high level of official receptions and meetings.
On the third floor there are rooms for working negotiations and meetings. Each of them has its own purpose and design. The main hall is considered to be the Marble Hall, where the signing of agreements/documents drawn up during official visits and summits takes place. In the same place, credentials are presented to ambassadors of foreign states and especially distinguished fellow citizens are awarded with the highest awards and honorary titles.
Also on the third floor there is the Fireplace, or Golden Hall, which is used for negotiations and meetings of heads of state and government in a narrow circle, the Oval Hall, where meetings of official delegations take place, the Extended Negotiations Hall, the Security Council meeting room, guest rooms and auxiliary rooms.
But the most impressive is still the East Hall, which is located in the center. Due to the domed ceiling, it looks like a huge yurt, into which there are not doors, but a lot of arched openings. This is a recreation area, so there are no usual tables and chairs here, but only low soft sofas (subsequently replaced by spectacular chairs) and elegant tables created in the traditional oriental style are arranged in a circle.
The 4th floor also boasts a domed hall, where working meetings of the President with representatives of ministries and departments, sometimes with heads of other states are held. A distinctive feature of this room are green marble columns, with 14 pairs of the lower tier having a dark shade, and bright green columns adorn the top, on which the impressive arcade rests.
On the fourth floor, there is another meeting room, only it is intended for meetings with the heads of structural divisions of the Presidential Administration and for business meetings with representatives of the business elite of the republic. There is also a Hall of Negotiations and the Presidential Library, which contains unique collections of books and ancient manuscripts.
