Green Bazaar (Almaty) is considered oneof the main attractions of the southern capital of Kazakhstan. There are always noisy and crowded people in the malls, city dwellers rush here any day of the week to buy fresh produce, as well as manufactured goods from clothing and footwear to furniture and building materials. The central market, which has more than a century of history, is also popular with tourists. Here you can buy original souvenirs and taste national dishes.
Green Bazaar (Almaty), whose address remainsconstant for many decades, located at the intersection of Zhibek Zholy (formerly M. Gorky) and Zenkov Streets. In this place in 1875 the Gostiny Dvor was built, consisting of only two pavilions. The customer and sponsor of the construction was the merchant Rafikov, one of the most influential people of that time.
Present Almaty until 1921 was the city of Verny,southern outpost of the Russian Empire. Here caravan routes passed, and Vernensky Gostiny Dvor gave temporary shelter to visiting merchants, allowed to rest before a long journey, enjoy delicious food and hot aromatic tea.
Местные торговцы бойко предлагали покупателям goods for every taste: fresh greens, vegetables, cereals, clothing, firewood and other items necessary in everyday life. Horse-drawn carts stood in a square in front of the market in amicable ranks, the cab drivers vied for the people going out with their purchases to ride with the wind to the house.
Seventeen years after foundationGostiny Dvor in the city of a strong earthquake, as a result, many buildings were destroyed, and the pavilions of the merchant Rafikov did not survive. Before the October Revolution, in Verny there existed several bazaars of various types, selling certain types of goods.
The multifunctional Gostiny Dvor was forgotten onlong years. Already under Soviet rule in 1927, in its place, it was decided to put covered wooden counters so that the peasants could sell products brought from the surrounding villages. In official papers, the stalls were called the Central Collective Farm Market, but the people gave the former Gostiny Dvor a simpler name. This is how the Green Bazaar (Almaty) appeared.
A more modern-looking market has gained inseventies of the last century. In place of wooden shelves, a multi-level capital structure was erected with underground storage facilities, counters for trade in products, and pavilions with industrial goods. The structure of the Green Bazaar includes the “1000 trifles” shop, car parking, summer tents and stalls. The building, designed by Kazakh architects, was recognized as one of the most technologically advanced and functional markets in the Soviet Union.
Noisy bustle reigning between the rows of shopping mallsmuch like the atmosphere of fabulous oriental bazaars. Counters at any time of the year are full of fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy and meat products. Here you can taste real Kazakh koumiss and beshbarmak, treat yourself to Uzbek plov, Tatar belyashes, Caucasian shashlyk and shawarma. There are pavilions in the Green Market, where Koreans sell their dishes of their national cuisine. Spicy cabbage, carrot, radish salads are very popular among buyers. Endless rows with crispy nuts, fragrant dried apricots, prunes and other dried fruits attract people of any gender and age.
In Soviet times there was even such a joke:while going around the Green Bazaar from edge to edge, it's free and you will eat and drink. The fact is that merchants allowed buyers to try any edible products without requiring money for it. The market stalls have never been empty, even in the harsh war years and difficult years on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Центральный рынок деловой столицы Казахстана и в Our days is a place where there is literally everything. It is on the local stalls that the very first spring greenery appears, saplings of fruit trees and shrubs are sold there, they sell shoes, clothes, dishes, home appliances, mobile phones, television sets — all that is simply not listed.
Almaty’s Green Bazaar area invariably attractsonly local residents, but also guests of the city, especially since other objects of cultural significance are located nearby. A five-minute walk from the market is the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, on whose territory the golden domes of Zenkov Cathedral, one of the oldest and most beautiful urban buildings, raise the dome.
Not far from the market there are comfortable hotels andhotels There is a confectionery factory “Rakhat” in several blocks, therefore sweet aromas of caramel, vanilla and chocolate hover over the stalls.
Most public transport routesstart their way from the market or return here to the final stop. It is impossible not to notice, all the roads of the city, one way or another, lead to the Green Bazaar of Almaty. The schedule of this institution is limited to nine hours a day (from 9.00 to 18.00), but it seems that life here does not subside for a minute.
