Bayterek Tower

About the Bayterek Tower

Astana's Bayterek Tower is a striking symbol of Kazakhstan's modern capital city. This futuristic observation tower, designed to represent a mythical tree of life holding a golden egg, offers panoramic views of the city and embodies the nation's aspirations and cultural heritage in its contemporary architectural form.

Rising 97 metres above the left bank of Astana, the Baiterek monument encodes the year 1997, when Kazakhstan's capital was formally moved from Almaty to Aqmola, soon renamed Astana. Built as part of the new capital's central axis and opened to visitors in 2002, the tower takes its form from the Kazakh legend of the tree of life, in which the bird Samruk lays a golden egg in the branches of a poplar; the gilded glass sphere at the summit represents that egg. Inside the observation level sits a bronze imprint of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's right hand, which visitors touch. Claims that Norman Foster designed it are mistaken; he worked on other Astana projects.