Almaty Ascension Cathedral

 The Almaty Ascension Cathedral was built between 1904 and 1907.  Although built of wood, it survived the earthquake of 1910, but it went on to become a museum after the Russian revolution.  It was later used by various organisations and even had radio transmitters installed in its belfry.  In 1997 it reopened for religious services. In 2007 it appeared on a coin issued by the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

But the best part of this card, by far, was the message for me, written by 3 year old Almina.

Thank you, Amina.

Khan Tengri, Kazakhstan

Postmarked Almaty (I think) and dated 21 December 2008 (arrived today).

Khan Tengri peak. Height is 7010 metres.

Kazakhstan was one of the 15 republics that gained independence in 1991 when the USSR collapsed.  It is the 9th largest country in the world.  Almaty is the largest city (the name is variously translated as rich with apples/father of apples) is surrounded by the Tien Shan mountains.  The highest peak is Khan Tengri and it is located right in the centre at the Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan/China borders.

I am delighted with this card.  It's really lovely though its beauty hasn't been conveyed well by the scan.  It is also my first from Kazakhstan (which I can now spell more or less without checking first).