Day of the Capital in Kazakhstan Date in the current year: July 6, 2024

The first capital of Kazakhstan was Almaty, which is today the largest city in Kazakhstan. On July 6, 1994, the Supreme Council decided to move the capital to Akmoly. President Nursultan Nazarbayev approved this decision in 1997 and signed a Presidential Decree on this issue on May 6, 1998. The same decree foresaw changing the city’s namefrom from Akmoly to Astana.

Day of the Capital has been celebrated from the day when the city gained its status. Initially, it was celebrated on the city level only, and the original date was June 10. The decision to move the date of the holiday to July 6, the day of the parliamentary decision, was made in 2006. Besides, July 6 is also the birthday Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Day of the Capital officially became a national holiday on July 8, 2008. This holiday is intended symbolize the achievements made by the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In 2019, after Nazarbayev’s resignation as President of Kazakhstan, the country’s capital was renamed once more to honor the former President. The city’s current name is Nur-Sultan.