The name of Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, continues to appear on streets, schools and monuments in several countries, even as references to him decline at home. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the details in response to an inquiry from Kursiv.media.
Turkey leads in number of tributes
Turkey has the highest number of locations named after Nazarbayev. Streets, avenues and boulevards bearing his name can be found in six cities: Ankara, Gebze, Kirsehir, Nevsehir, Adana and Izmir.
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A full-length monument to Nazarbayev has also stood in Ankara since 2010.
Russia ranks second
Russia comes next, with streets named after Nazarbayev in three cities: Kazan, Grozny and Magas.
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In Grozny, Lyceum No. 1 also carries his name, and a sculpture of the former president has been installed on its grounds.
Isolated sites across the CIS
In Ukraine, a bas-relief monument remains in Kamenskoye. It is mounted on the facade of Higher Vocational School No. 22, where Nazarbayev studied in his youth.
In Moldova, a bust of Nazarbayev has stood on the Walk of Fame in Comrat since 2012.
Jordan not listed but documented
Although the Foreign Ministry’s response did not mention Jordan, it is known that in 2010 a central street in Amman was officially named after Nazarbayev.
Shifting legacy at home
Within Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev’s public legacy has changed significantly in recent years.
During the January 2022 unrest, residents of Taldykorgan tore down a monument to the former president in the city’s main square. A local court later sentenced a 38-year-old man to a suspended term of four years and six months for destroying the statue.
Following those events, monuments to Nazarbayev were removed across the country. In 2024, a statue that had stood in front of the National Defense University in Astana was taken down and transferred to the Defense Ministry’s museum. Another sculpture was removed from the National Museum after officials said it no longer fit the exhibition concept.
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Street names have also been changed. In Petropavlovsk, a central street formerly named after Nazarbayev was renamed Constitution of Kazakhstan Street. In Uralsk, Nazarbayev Avenue reverted to its historical name, Dostyk (Friendship).
