The Journey to Saran

Saran is an administrative part of the Karaganda region 25 kilometers away from the city. The author of the Real Kazakhstan project, which is run by Kursiv edition and Chevron, tells her story about the town. 

The town’s name «Soran» means «saline» in the Kazakh language. The settlement with that name was established in 1939 by geologists who had been looking for coal nearby. Over the decades, the settlement became bigger and bigger and in 1954 obtained the status of a town. Currently its population is about 52,000 people. 

Despite its small size, there are many big companies in Saran:

•    ArcelorMittal Temirtau (two mines of Saranskaya and Kuzembaeva);
•    Eurasian Industrial Chemicals Group;
•    Kazcenterelectroprovod;
•    Saburkhan Technologies;
•    Solar Power Station Saran;
•    QazTehna (produces buses and special equipment). 

What Saran Is Surrounded by?

If you are going to travel to Saran from Karaganda, you have to drive by Saran Road not far away from such small settlements as Dubovka, Baytam, Sokur, Saran-Ugolnaya, Vosmidomiki and many others.

Malaya Saran is the place where the first President of the Chechen Republic (part of the Russian Federation) Akhmad Kadyrov was born. Here people can see a monument installed in his honor.

Upon entering Saran, every guest can see an arc, which is full of lights and illumination. The arc is a gift from a solar power station that started its work in 2019 and cost $137 million.

«Our small town of Saran has a full right to be proud of itself because it’s a real champion in terms of renewable sources of energy,» said Kanat Bozumbayev, ex-minister of energy.

Near the station is another popular site called Dam. This is a reservoir, which holds water to supply the town’s needs. It is also full of fish and many locals go there for fishing throughout the year.

If you go farther, you can see the saddest area in Saran: the almost abandoned settlement of the former mechanical rubber goods plant.

When the founders of Saran searched for a perfect place for the town to be established, they chose low-lying ground between hills. But many still argue that that decision was controversial.

This settlement, which consists of three micro districts, used to be a crowded place with 25,000 residents in total. In 1994 the mechanical rubber goods plant went bankrupted and everything changed. The vast majority of people left the settlement and many apartment buildings were abandoned for years. 

However, there are still some centers for people’s attraction, including one residential school, a new psychoneurological dispensary and Karaganda rope jumpers base.

This year the settlement has been granted a second chance. According to the mayor of Saran, about 70 apartment buildings will be restored; the rest should be replaced by new buildings.

One of the reasons for this bold move are new businesses that work in Saran. In 2020 a completely new plant QazTehna was launched there. The plant produces buses, electric buses and special equipment. This project was launched in conjunction with the Chinese giant Yutong.

How Does the Town Live?

The main orienting point inside Saran is a tank. It doesn’t mean that the town’s residents are militarists. Given that a tank unit used to stay here in the Soviet age, now this old tank and several guns serve as part of a local World War II memorial. 

The second memorial is a Veterans Garden in the center of Saran. It’s devoted to labor veterans and those who fought in Afghanistan between 1979 and1989.

Mausoleum of Igilik Bi is another famous site in Saran; it’s considered a holy site and is a part of the historical heritage of the Karaganda region. If someone wants to know more about Igilik Bi, he or she can read the historical novel «The Awakened Land» by Gabit Musrepov.

For the young generation, there are two interesting sites. First, the Station of Young Technicians, which was opened in 1956 and now is the only station of that kind in the entire Karaganda region. Second, the Children’s and Youth Sports School of Olympic Reserve, which prepared many Kazakhstani champions. One of them is Milana Safronova, who got the Bronze medal at the 2019 World Boxing Championship. Even the mayor of Saran Erzhan Temirkhanov himself is a prominent triathlon runner and Iron Man race participant.

In 2009 local authorities restored the Sunkar stadium for 4,000 spectators. The area nearby now serves as a public garden. Moreover, a new movie theater, children’s area and fast food restaurant will be built there soon. The authorities hope that these new sites will make this area even more attractive.

In 2020 Saran residents celebrated the opening of a new swimming pool for toddlers and children of school age. Also, residents and guests love to visit such local cafés as Zhomart, Treasure Island, and a banquet hall.

There are eight schools in the town and two secondary educational institutions: Saran Humanitarian and Technical College and Saran Technical College. 

Given the extremely cold winters, all 258 apartment and other buildings in Saran and the neighboring Aktas settlement are connected to a central heating system. There are 22 boiler stations in the area. To save money, they use mud coal as a fuel instead of coal. The construction of the new central boiling facility is underway in Saran since 2012. This station with a total cost of five billion tenge ($11.8 million) should have been built five years ago. Currently, the Saran administration is planning to switch all local boiler stations from mud coal to natural gas.

There are many other problems in Saran, including the water supply system, expensive utility prices, lack of street lighting and few jobs. Many locals work in Karaganda and suffer from poor public transportation: it’s confused, overloaded and often buses stop working at 8:00 pm. Moreover, all these buses are private; therefore, some security issues are also raised.

However, Saran is full of hope and locals just love their small hometown. They are ready to work and stay here long-term.