Kazakhstan sits on vast reserves of oil and natural gas and in the next decade could be among the world’s Top 5 oil-exporting countries. The capital of Kazakhstan was relocated in 1997 from Almaty to what is now Astana.

Astana may hold little for travellers when compared with Almaty, an increasingly popular destination on the Silk Route.

President Nazarbayev chose the British architect Norman Foster to design a 203-foot-high pyramid of glass, stone and steel. The shape is religiously neutral. The building also houses a research center, library, museum and 1,500-seat opera house. (Nazarbayev's late request)