Oral, Regional capital city in northwestern Kazakhstan
Oral sits at the meeting point of the Ural and Chagan rivers and spreads along both banks, with wide streets and Soviet-era apartment blocks standing next to newer buildings. The central Dostyk Avenue connects shops, cafés and public squares and runs through the heart of town.
Cossacks founded the settlement in 1584 under the name Yaitsky Gorodok and turned it into a military outpost along the Ural. After the Pugachev Rebellion, Catherine the Great gave the place a new name in 1775, Uralsk, which remained until 1991 when it was renamed Oral.
The Cathedral of Archangel Mikhail dates back to 1751 and still carries Russian building traits that shaped religious life in this area. Today Muslims, Orthodox Christians and members of other faiths live side by side, a mix that becomes visible during different holidays and through the variety of places of worship.
Train connections run to Moscow, Astana and Aqtobe, and the center around Dostyk Avenue is easy to explore on foot. In winter you need warm clothing for temperatures far below freezing, while in summer light clothes suit hot days.
The town sits right on the border between Europe and Asia, and in some places monuments mark this division between the two continents. Temperature swings range from minus 43 degrees Celsius in winter to 42 degrees in summer throughout the year.
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