An inhabited locality named Almaty (in earlier periods of time Almaly or Almalyk, names obviously being derived from the wild apple tree groves that always surrounded it: ‘alma’ is the Kazakh for ‘apple’) was known in the East for many centuries.
One of first European travelers to the East Italian monk Giovanni del Plano Carpini and his French successor Gilyom de Rubruk mentioned a town of Almalyk in their papers as situated approximately at the place of contemporary Almaty. Both, Carpini in 1245-1247 and Rubruk in 1253-1255, crossed the territory of Jetysu (a large area between Zailiyskiy Alatau and Dzhungarskiy Alatau mountain regions in the South and Lake Balkhash in the North; ‘Jetysu’ is the Kazakh for ‘Seven Rivers’, Russian equivalent — ‘Semirechye’) on their way to Mongolia and back to Europe significantly to the North of Almalyk.
In the 19th century a well-known Russian researcher of the East V.V.Bartold found ruins of an ancient town in the neighborhood of Almaty. Assumably that town was destroyed by Mongolian invaders in XIII century. It is highly possible that later, as it happened in the history more than once, the town was rebuilt at a new place nearby. Slightly migrating over the area like this, the town could manage to retain its important position on the medieval Asia-Europe caravan route.
Unfortunately, the history of Almaty and its surrounding regions before the Russian colonization is still to be studied, since during the communist era the mere interest in the subject on the side of a Kazakh historian was considered «nationalism» and persecuted accordingly. Even about the early years of Russian fortress Vernoye, that was set up at the place of modern Almaty in 1854, we know less than it might be desired. In particular, no more or less detailed plans of the fortress itself or of the adjoining settlements (later included as parts into the town of Vernyi) were found until now.
Though the Great Kazakh Zhuz territories were considered by Russian Empire as belonging to it since the beginning of XIX century, the actual colonization process was slow. Russian troops began to move into the area beyond the Ili river only in early 1850’s. The official excuse for that military intrusion was defense of the Kazakhs and Northern Kirghizs from the Kokand Khanate. The Kokands also claimed the territories and collected «zyaket» (tribute) annually for some time by then. The possibility of British expansion into this area (and Central Asia as a whole) through neighboring India also could not be neglected by the Russians, not speaking of the threats emanated from Jungaria (later replaced by Tzin Empire). Of course, non of these political considerations were made public.
In 1853 a military detachment under command of major Peremyshlskiy was sent from Kapal to choose a suitable place for a new fortress. On fulfilling the task major Peremyshlsiy wrote in his letter to general-governor of Western Siberia:»After the examination of the first and second Almaty and the valley between them engineer-poruchik (lieutenant, AC) Aleksandrovskiy and I found them much superior in easily available timber, quantities of fine arable land covered with aryks (‘aryk’ — irrigation ditch, AC) and hayland to the valleys on Issyk and Talgar. That is why we suggested the place for the future settlement.»
In 1854 the construction of Vernoye fortress began. By the end of summer of 1855 the first party of colonists (100 Cossack families) was brought here from Western Siberia.
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| Vernoye fortress by P.Kosharov, 1857 |
On departure from Russia each colonist family was given an outfit, a horse harness, a cart, panes of glass, nails, hardware for building a house, and 55 rubles in cash for purchasing cattle. On arrival each family got a year’s supply of flour and grain for sowing. In 1856 1464 more colonists arrived in three parties. Since then settlers were brought to Vernoye each summer for several years. By the year of 1859 most of the newcomers were peasants from Voronezhskaya province enrolled in Cossacks immediately after arrival.
In the autumn of 1860 the Kokand Khanate made a military attempt to force the Russians out of the area and regain control over it. On the 21st of October 1860 a battle took place near Uzun-Agash village between Russian and Kokand forces. Russians under command of major Kolpakovskiy (later the governor of Semirechye) won. In honour of that victory a monument was placed at the hill where Russian cannons stood.
On the 11th of April of 1867 Vernoye fortress was recognized as a town.
In 1887 a catastrophic earthquake destroyed Vernyi. Only 139 of nearly three thousand town buildings remained intact. 332 people died.
In 1906 a seismograph was installed in Vernyi and thus the first seismic station was established in Kazakhstan.
In 1911 Vernyi experienced another earthquake, not less severe than that of 1887. 616 houses were completely destroyed, 301 seriously damaged, 1010 slightly damaged. The highest building in the town, Zenkov Cathedral built in 1906, was not damaged at all. No precise data on people losses.
In the summer of 1916 Jetysu Kazakhs rose in rebellion. By that time their living conditions could be described as critical. Deprived of all civil rights at their homeland, they were driven away from the best of their lands and water, farther and farther into the mountains. As a result, total number of livestock (then the basis of national economy) decreased by two thirds as compared with the time before colonization. More and more people were destined to absolute poverty. But the mild-natured Kazakhs endured all those hardships for a certain time. On the 25th of June 1916 the tzar’s decree was promulgated that the Kazakhs would be called to the Russian army for rear works, and this was the last straw. That desperate attempt was doomed from the very beginning, since the rebels had no firearms whereas the opposite side used machine-guns and artillery against them. Tens of thousands of Kazakhs were compelled to flee to China leaving all their possessions behind. Those who stayed were punished with utmost cruelty. Vernyi was the center from which the Rebellion of 1916 was suppressed.
In November of 1917 a Soviet of workers and soldiers was created in Vernyi. In the same month that Soviet was overthrown by the White Guards and Cossacks, who established a dictatorship of «voisko (Cossack) government» instead.
At the night of March 3, 1918 a Bolshevik underground group headed by P.M.Vinogradov attempted a coup and succeeded. [Pavel Mikhailovich Vinogradov: born in Pskovskaya province, educated at Saint-Petersburg University, sent into exile to Tomskaya province, since 1913 worked as a school teacher in Jetysu(Semirechye), first in Kaskelen, then in Iliysk, after returning from the First World War front in the beginning of 1918 headed the Vernyi’s underground Bolshevik group] A military-revolutionary committee was organized in the town including as members P.M.Vinogradov, L.P.Yemelev, Tokash Bokin and others.
1918 -1920 — Civil war in Jetysu (Semirechye). As a matter of fact, Russian peasants of Jetysu of whom most of local Red Army forces consisted were not the right material for communism. They were not poor (the poor being the main source of support for Bolsheviks), only the so called «novosely» (new settlers, who arrived from Russia less than ten years ago) were comparatively not so well-to-do. Two reasons could account for such widespread prosperity (rare in other parts of Russian Empire). First, extremely favorable natural conditions of the area, second, legalized robbery and exploitation of the native people. Having all this in mind one could see the true motives underlieing the civil war in Jetysu. Firstly, the peasants sought revenge for nearly a century’s sanctioned by the tzarist regime Cossack domination in the area, secondly, they wanted to take the power into their own hands and obtain the ability to control both the Cossacks and (which was even more important) the Kazakhs. Though participation of the Kazakhs in the two year war was minimal, they suffered from it much more than other parties involved. In the spring of 1920 the remnants of ataman Annenkov and ataman Sherbakov armies retreated to China, and that put an end to civil war in Jetysu. Vernyi was flooded with refugees from the most devastated Kopal and Lepsy districts.
At the night of June 12, 1920 the Red Army insurrection began in Vernyi. One battalion of the 27th regiment and one battalion of the 25th regiment temporarily stationed in the town on their way to Fergana were joined by the Vernyi garrison. The soldiers were displeased by the Center’s decision to transfer them to Fergana to fight against the Basmaches. They didn’t want to leave Jetysu and demanded immediate dismissal. «Prodrazverstka» that began in the area by that time, the formation of special Kirghiz brigade, the fact that captured Cossack officers were not executed, and the assistance Soviet authorities lent to the Kazakh refugees of 1916 returning from China (tens of thousands of Kazakh refugees were invited back home; their lands seized in their absence by Russian peasants were meant subject for restitution) also gave rise to discontent. The rising lasted for eight days and ended in the evening of June 19 when the insurgents were disarmed by the 4th cavalry regiment which came to rescue from where it was stationed in Vernyi neighborhood. Due to the efforts of D.A.Furmanov, then the head of Jetysu Soviet government, the rising that beyond doubt had an immense distractive potential limited itself to the town boundaries and was suppressed without bloodshed. A few months later 12 instigators were sentenced to death.
In February of 1921 the town got a new name — Alma-Ata.
In 1927 the very first bus route opened in Alma-Ata, then it was a single «Ford» vehicle.
In May of 1929 Alma-Ata became the capital of Kazakhstan. Before that Kyzyl-Orda was the country’s capital.
February 4, 1951 — birthday of the famous mountain skating-rink Medeu. That day it was only a 100 meters path covered with natural ice.
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| Anti-torrent dam |
In 1956 a scheme of anti-torrent dam construction in Small Almaty canyon was adopted by the 4th All-Union Anti-Torrent Protection Conference in Alma-Ata.
October 21, 1966 and April 14, 1967 — two unique pointed explosions in the canyon of Small Almaty river created an anti-torrent dam, protecting the city and Medeu skating-rink against mountain torrent floods.
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| Medeu mountain skating-rink |
December 28, 1972 — after a two year’s break for reconstruction Medeu skating-rink was officially re-opened to public.
In July of 1973 a violent mountain torrent failed to do any harm to the city. The anti-torrent dam at Medeu and human courage averted catastrophe. The city was in danger for 19 days.
December 17-19, 1986 — the so called December Riot took place in Alma-Ata. Several thousand people gathered at the New Square (now the Square of Republic) in front of the Government House and protested against Moscow’s appointment of G.V.Kolbin as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. After the beginning of «perestroyka» earlier that year that was the first mass protest against the Center’s policies at the territory of former Soviet Union. More than 8,500 people were arrested during the riot and shortly afterwards. 103 were sentenced to imprisonment, 92 of whom are now rehabilitated.
In the summer of 1989 new international pop music festival «Asia Dausy» («Voice of Asia») came into existence. Since then it is held annually.
December 21, 1991 — Alma-Ata Declaration was signed by the heads of Soviet Republics. Alma-Ata Declaration legalized voluntary dissolution of the USSR.
In 1994 the city got historical name — Almaty.
December 10, 1997 — the country’s capital was transferred to Astana. Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan for the first six years of its independence.
From an article written in 2000, Author unknown.
