Terra sebv s acta mvsei sabesiensi s

I. S. Karabulatova, E. N. Ermakova, G. A. Shiganova 

 

16

Take, for example, the Tyumen region, the nearest neighbour to 

Kazakhstan, where Turkic peoples make up more than half the population, 

balancing on a thin structural line of languages and cultures. In the 18

th

 

century, Archbishop Cyprian wrote a special decree forbidding Russian 

people in Siberia from marrying adherents of different faiths because they 

did not comply with the laws ofthe orthodox faith.

4

 This example 

demonstrates “the potential of creating a new type of linguistic identity” 

because it combines the worlds of different ethnic cultures.

5

 

Nursultan Nazarbayev defined Kazakhstan’s newly-created capital, 

Astana, as “the heart of Eurasia.”

6

 This designation continued the tradition 

of the Siberian Tatars and Siberian Kazakhs of giving the name Astana to 

holy places, places heartfelt prayer. The sacred space can be multiplied, but 

draws particularly on duality, as doubling carries a metaphysical meaning. 

For example, in ancient Egypt the temple was the “ka” of God, his 

counterpart (analogue), and was portrayed by a glyph representing two 

raised hands. In ancient Israel, the letter “beit” (which also means house) 

simultaneously denotes the number two. In addition, many modern states 

have two capitals: Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, New York and 

Washington in the United States, Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, 

Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey. Apparently, “if the capital is the heart of the 

country, we can compare the image of” two capitals “with the two parts of 

the heart.”

7

 

The attitude toward magic, holy and sacred elements in the new state 

symbolism of Kazakhstan is not accidental. Our research has direct 

relevance to anthropolinguistics. The term “anthropolinguistics” was 

introduced by American academics F. Boas and E. Sapir, who showed the 

relation between ethnos, culture and language, triggering much discussion in 

academic community.

8

 

 

Materials and Methods 

Today we are witnessing an intensified search for new, fundamental 

mythological and philosophical elements in the changed geopolitical space. 

This paradigm makes it possible to consider the name of the capital as a 

social and cultural - as well as mythological - phenomenon. Thus the name 

of the state capital performs the direct function of a toponym, and also 

contributes to the ethnic cohesiveness of the nation. Although, there was a 

                                                 

4 

Karabulatova 2009, p. 176. 

5 

Karabulatova 2013, p. 792. 

6 

Nazarbayev 2005, p. 5. 

7

 Karabulatova et al. 2010, p. 70. 

8

 Lewis 2011, p. 381. 

www.cclbsebes.ro/muzeul-municipal-ioan-raica.html   /   www.cimec.ro

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Astana the Capital of Kazakhstan and Astanas in Siberia as a Linguistic-Cultural Aspect  

 

17

stable relationship between the Soviet past and the old capital (Alma-Ata, 

now Almaty), the search for means of ethnic integration in the new 

Kazakhstan (as an independent state) led to the transfer of the capital to a 

geographically central part of Kazakhstan. The new city was symbolised in 

iconic symbols of the state, such as the flag and coat of arms, as the spiritual 

umbilical cord of the young state, along with a symbolic representation of 

the sun which metaphorically warms the entire Kazakh land and its peoples. 

The basic natural symbols of Astana reflected in its state symbols are the 

boundless steppe, the high sky and the bright sun. This powerful trinity, 

vital in a culture oriented towards agriculture, serves a special mystical role 

in the designation of Astana city as a symbol of the state. The main 

characteristics of Kazakhstan - the sky and sunshine - are laid down in these 

ancient mythological components. The steppe is a symbol of the infinity of 

being, the infinity of life, while the sun represents the presence of higher 

powers, of divine protection. 

Personal understanding of the sacred (as in Akmola, the name of the 

region, which translates as white tomb/holy tomb) and sacral (Astana, 

capital of the Siberian Tatars, and also used to designate the grave of saints 

and sheikhs, a sacred place) in the worldview of Eurasians (Russians, 

Kazakhs, etc.) has special significance. The dual designation of the sacred 

manifests itself in the profane world, most clearly indicating the presence of 

the Divine, of higher powers. Researchers emphasise that the sacred 

sanctum is “that which is on the periphery of the sacrum, ensuring 

complete isolation for contact with the divine.”

9

 The researchers emphasize 

that the holy astanas are on the periphery of the sacred world; they 

represent the boundary between the real and sacred worlds. 

Researchers into the Tatar language, in particular F. T. Valeyev, 

indicate that the word “Astana” is of Arab origin and means “door sill” or 

“entrance into the palace.”

10

 This interpretation offers a new perspective on 

the symbolic significance of Astana as the capital: it suggests a kind of 

entrance to the Heavenly Palace, in other words, this is the place where 

God lives or his arche is embodied (according the representations of the 

ancient Greeks (Plato), arche designates the root source or principle of a 

thing, which is universally identifiable and repeatable - hence archetype, 

arch-genius, etc.). By naming the capital Astana, all the Sary-Arka - the great 

Kazakh steppe - is designated a mythical locality. The entire Kazakh steppe 

thus serves as a collection of various astanas. 

                                                 

9

 Benveniste 1966, p. 343-350. 

10

 Valeyev 1976, p. 323. 

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