Alash Qalasynyn Tarihty

Kazakh autonomy Alash became the cradle of idea about future Kazakhstan statehood and its harbinger was proclaimed on the second all Kazakh Congress in Orenburg on December 5-12, 1917. The capital city of Alash-Orda government was Semipalatinsk.

According to sources, first wave of national intelligentsia was looking for a suitable city for political center of Kazakh steppe long before the proclaimation of autonomy. In this regard back in 1915, Alikhan Bukeikhanov considered cities such as Karaotkel (Akmola, now – Astana), Orenburg, Troitsk. But in one of them was small number of Kazakh population, in others intellectual and cultural layer has not matured to such a status.

It’s no wonder that the choice fell on Semipalatinsk (now – Semey). Semipalatinsk is a motherland of great Abai and Shakarim, also once there were F.Dostoyevkiy, N.Dolgopolov, E.Michaelis, B.Gerasimov, G.Potanin. City on the Irtysh River in that time have already differed high level of culture, science and education.

Moreover, railway passing through the city directly linked it with Siberia and Middle Asia. For these reasons the location of the autonomy have chosen Semey city.

In spring 1917 left-bank part of Semey, popularly known as Zarechnaya settlement, with the decision of Alash executive committee was proclaimed city named of Alash. Later there government of autonomy of the same name started work.