When Oil Means Everything: How the City of Atyrau Lives

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Atyrau is one of the richest cities in Kazakhstan. It is located in the Western part of the country in an area where the Ural River flows into the Caspian Sea. There are lots of stereotypes about the city, including those about «serious boys,» fish dishes, rich foreigners and bad air. A journalist from Atyrau gives a story about the city within our ongoing project called the Real Kazakhstanby by the Kursiv edition and Chevron.

My name is Farkhad Abilov. I am 24 years old and I work as a journalist for the Ak Zhaik newspaper. Previously, I used to live in a village near Atyrau. Later, when I was studying at Atyrau State University, I decided to stay in the city. Last year I worked in Nur-Sultan but due to quarantine was forced to come back. One day I’ll leave Atyrau to try my fortune in other cities or even countries but I still like my city. 

Local Features

«neft,-neft-i-eshhe-raz-neft»-kak-i-chem-zhivet-atyrau_0.jpgCentral Atyrau Bridge at night. Photo credits Farkhad Abilov

According to the Department of Statistics, there are 365,000 residents in Atyrau, including Kazakhs (88%), Russians (8%) and others (Koreans, Ukrainians and Armenians). However, the official statistics may be different if compared to real life.

There is only one reason for that: Atyrau is the oil capital of Kazakhstan, which attracts thousands of people from all over the country. Moreover, there are loads of foreign personnel including Americans and Englishmen. Usually, there are no issues between them and locals. Locals like them. Another group of foreign workers is Chinese but they prefer to stay inside their camps.

Oil is the core of the entire economy of Atyrau. The biggest oil producer in the region is Tengizchevroil, a joint Kazakh-American venture, which explores the Tengiz oil field. The company is also the biggest taxpayer and employer. Moreover, Tengizchevroil supports a wide range of social projects in Atyrau and the entire region. 

Moreover, there is an oil refinery plant in Atyrau – a strategic object for our country. It was built during World War II (the Soviet Union bought the plant in the U.S.) and it is still one of the biggest refineries in the country. The plant produces gasoline and diesel fuel for Uralsk, Aktau and Aktobe. 

The vast majority of people in Atyrau prefer to work in the oil industry, not in the state or quasi-state sectors. The wage in the industry is $700 on average even though some earn $3000 or even $7000 per month. Usually, for this kind of wage, only those who have a degree certificate and work experience are eligible. Another area to make money is a group of businesses, which are aimed at serving the oil industry. They also offer employees good wages.

Because of the oil industry and foreign companies, hotels, restaurants and taxi companies in Atyrau also reached a high level of development with well-paid jobs.

«neft,-neft-i-eshhe-raz-neft»-kak-i-chem-zhivet-atyrau (6).jpgThe Ural River suffers from bad treatment. Photo: Farkhad Abilov

And of course, the city of Atyrau is well known for its fishery and fish reprocessing plants. Many such plants are used to breed high-profile types of fish including sturgeon, sevruga and white sturgeon. They produce fish filet, caviar and processed products. This sector is the second after the oil industry in terms of taxes and importance for the local economy.

A Brief History of the Region

The Atyrau region has a great history due to its geographical location in an area between Europe and Asia. For example, the Golden Horde city of Sarayshik was here. Currently, its ruins can be observed in the outskirts of Atyrau. Its residents used to trade and breed animals. Various ancient kitchen dishware and jewelry have been found here by Kazakhstani scientists.

After the collapse of the Golden Horde, Atyrau region became part of the Junior Zhuz of the Kazakh Khanate, whose descendants still live here.

«neft,-neft-i-eshhe-raz-neft»-kak-i-chem-zhivet-atyrau (10)_0.jpgTuzdykol Lake in the Atyrau region. Photo: Farkhat Abilov

The interim period of the Kazakh Khanate, after the annexation to the Russian Empire, was an interesting time for the region. Locals refused to adopt new rules and rebellion wars were a common thing. Among participants of these insurrections were almost everyone including rich and poor people. The reason is that locals used to rely on themselves; they were proud and unafraid to fight.

«neft,-neft-i-eshhe-raz-neft»-kak-i-chem-zhivet-atyrau (8).jpgTuzdykol Lake is a popular place for camping. It is located on the bottom of a sandpit. Photo: Farkhad Abilov 

The name of the city, Atyrau, is relatively new. Previously it had been called Guryev in honor of its founder Guriy Nazaryev, a Russian merchant who first started fishery operations there. Later this business, which attracted loads of people, had laid the foundation for the new town.

When the Soviet revolution sparked a civil war, Atyrau opposed the Soviet authorities. However, the Communists won and turned the city into a strategic point thanks to railroad and river shipping. Also, Soviet authorities started to produce oil.

What About Prices?

You can’t live in Atyrau for cheap and everybody knows why. There are lots of new buildings that are under construction and if someone wants to buy an apartment he should be ready to pay tons of money. For example, in an old part of the town you can buy a single-room flat for $18,725; a two-room flat for $30,429 and a three-rooms flat for $35,110 and more. In new residential compounds, prices are significantly higher. According to Krisha.kz website, the difference in prices between old and brand new houses might be about $11,703 depending on floor space and the number of rooms.

If you want to rent an apartment, its price will also depend on the location and type of building. Usually, it’s easy to find something about $140 for a single-room flat; $187 for a two-room apartment and $234 for a three-room flat. There are lots of high-profile apartments as well but they might be really expensive.

When you need something you can buy it from Ideal or Leader supermarket chains run by local entrepreneurs. Also, there is a marketplace called Sarayshik.

Average prices in Leader supermarkets are as follows:

• Beef fillet – $5.58 (1 kg);
• Krakow sausage – $3.28;
• Ground beef – $5.83;
• Carp fillet – $3.98;
• Chicken – $3.75;
• Cucumbers – $1.85;
• Tomatoes – $1.28;
• Potatoes, onions, carrots, beets – $0.35;
• Bread – $0.28;
• Flour – $0.75;
• Oil – $1.66;
• Cheese – $8.43;
• Apples (from Poland) – $1.05.

Prices for public transportation in Atyrau cost $0.19 per ride if a passenger has a smart card and $0.35 if there is no card. A taxi ride is cheaper compared to Almaty or Nur-Sultan but is gradually growing. It’s $1.17 per ride on average. In terms of entertainment, people prefer to meet with their relatives and friends or hang out in restaurants. There are lots of cafés and restaurants with European, Asian, Turkish and even Mexican cuisine. 

«neft,-neft-i-eshhe-raz-neft»-kak-i-chem-zhivet-atyrau (4)_0.jpgAtyrau is full of young people. Photo: Farkhat Abilov

Another popular spot for Atyrau residents is Tuzdykol Lake. Last year the authorities were even forced to close the lake because of a huge inflow of people who had gotten tired of being stuck at home.

Leave or Stay?

The question to leave or to stay in Atyrau is a kind of personal question because each individual has to decide on his own. There are many advantages of being an Atyrau resident: the city is pretty comfortable with loads of job opportunities.

For example, many young specialists who had made a career in oil companies here in Atyrau have decided to move abroad, relocating to places like Malaysia, South Korea and the U.K. It makes a difference, because they are going to work as well-paid employees, not as students or service personnel.

However, there are some disadvantages in Atyrau as well. First of all, it has poor environmental conditions. Every day local plants emit tons of emissions, which can be smelled in the air. Atyrau has a dry and hot climate. The temperature can reach 40 Celsius in summer. Also, land here is not fertile. As a result, there are few trees and poor flora in the region.

Another problem is waste because people consume more and more. But all these problems can be handled, and this is not a big deal if someone wants to stay here.

Written by Akmaral Shayakhmetova

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