Ramadan in 2026 began Feb. 19. The Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims published guidance explaining the procedure for making up missed fasts, known as qada. Fasting as an act of worship Ramadan is a holy month in which Allah’s mercy is believed to be abundant and spiritual rewards are multiplied.…
In the 19th century, Kazakh girls owned not only dolls but also doll furniture — and not only the wealthiest families. To provide a daughter with a new toy, parents needed craft skills rather than money, and this was never a problem in the Kazakh steppe. «When playing with dolls,…
An unusual dating trend is gaining popularity among young people in China, with individuals recommending their former partners to others as if they were job candidates, according to the South China Morning Post. The idea emerged amid growing frustration with dating apps and a desire to find a «vetted» partner.…
Social media users are discussing an unexpected reason Russians are traveling to Kazakhstan: going to the movies. The conversation was sparked by a post on Threads in which a woman said she flew to Almaty specifically to see the film «Avatar.» A viral post fuels debate The post quickly went…
San Diego Comic-Con, one of the most influential gatherings in entertainment where major studios typically unveil upcoming films, TV series, and video games, has recently revised its stance on AI-generated artwork. The change came after strong opposition from artists, according to reporting by 404 Media. While modest, the decision represents…
A user on the Threads social network recently suggested reimagining «Harry Potter» characters by placing them in a Soviet-era context, rather than J.K. Rowling’s magical world. Hogwarts as a research institute The user shared AI-generated portraits of several «Harry Potter» characters using the prompt: «If Hogwarts were not an English…
Kazakh ethnic designer Tilek Sultan sparked debate after receiving a custom order for a kimeshek, a traditional head covering for married Kazakh women with children. While researching, Sultan noticed confusion between the kimeshek and the Islamic hijab. He raised the subject online, receiving swift, heated responses. A question that sparked…
A Kazakh-language production of the classic musical «Notre-Dame de Paris» has gone viral on social media in Kazakhstan. Archived clip resurfaces A Threads user shared an archived video of the performance, featuring actors Zharkynai Shalkar and Yerbol Narimanuly in the roles of Esmeralda and Frollo. The 2018 staging in Astana…
One of the most distinctive buildings in the old city still stands in the center of Astana: the house of first-guild merchant Vasily Kubrin, built between 1910 and 1912. It was a luxurious one-and-a-half-story mansion with a wing topped by a green turret, a basement, an English-style garden, and an…
Residents of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, have begun sharing photos on social media of murals that have disappeared from city streets — works that adorned building walls for years and became part of the city’s visual culture. Users are posting archival photos and recalling their memories of street art that…
A painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, attributed to Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, and believed to have been lost for over 400 years, was sold for €2.3 million at an auction in Versailles this weekend. The artwork, created by the renowned Flemish painter who lived from 1577 to…
Espace Gabrielle Chanel, described as the first public library of its kind, has opened in Shanghai. The roughly 1,700-square-meter space was designed by Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto and is located on the third floor of the Power Station of Art museum. A collection of more than 50,000 works The library…
Stephen King’s novel «It» may be rewritten after Russia’s AST publishing house announced it is considering changes following a complaint about «inappropriate content.» The publisher said its editors launched an internal review after receiving a complaint alleging the book contained «depictions of nontraditional relationships.» As a result, the current print…
A new live-action Assassin’s Creed adaptation is moving forward at Netflix, but news of the project — and its newly announced casting — has already sparked debate among fans, Gamingbible.com reported. Netflix recently confirmed that actor Toby Wallace will serve as a co-lead in the series. Many gamers initially speculated…
On Feb. 13, 2026, Astana’s Central Concert Hall Qazaqstan will host a concert, followed by another on Feb. 15 at Almaty’s Republic Palace, as part of a world tour honoring famed composer Ennio Morricone. Under the direction of his son, maestro Andrea Morricone, a symphony orchestra and mixed choir will…
Paris city officials have offered residents an unusually creative way to become part of the city’s history. They’ve launched a lottery that gives winners the chance to secure a burial plot in one of the city’s legendary cemeteries — Père-Lachaise, Montmartre or Montparnasse. These cemeteries are the resting places of…
Archaeologists have identified a significant Bronze Age settlement in the Kazakh steppe, suggesting a more complex urban presence in the region around 1600 B.C. than previously known, according to CNN. The site, called Semiyarka or «The City of Seven Ravines,» was first located in the early 2000s. Its scale and…
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer was sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s New York, making it the second most expensive artwork ever auctioned, the Guardian reported. The portrait, painted between 1914 and 1916, drew six bidders. The bidding lasted just 20 minutes before an undisclosed buyer offered the record-high…
Sony Pictures has reportedly acquired the screen rights to the Labubu brand and plans to develop it into a full-length film — and, if it’s successful, launch an entire franchise. It remains unclear whether the film will be animated or live-action. The project is in its early stages, and producers…
The Swiss government nominated yodeling for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This move acknowledges the centuries-old singing tradition as a vital part of Switzerland’s cultural identity, according to Euronews. Alpine herders originally used yodeling to communicate across the mountains, but it is now widely embraced as a popular singing…
Sikhs around the world are preparing to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti, one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, which is observed this year on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. The festival, also known as Gurpurab or Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav, commemorates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the…
Chess is becoming a popular new social activity for young people in the U.K., as bars and cafés reimagine the classic game, according to the Guardian. In London, Knight Club has become one of the city’s go-to Tuesday night venues, offering a mix of cocktails, DJ sets and chessboards for…
Egypt has celebrated the long-awaited opening of its largest museum of ancient history — the Grand Egyptian Museum, a project two decades in the making. Located at the foot of the Giza Pyramids, the museum houses more than 100,000 artifacts, many of which have never before been displayed to the…
After a cross was installed on the central tower of the Sagrada Família, the renowned basilica in Barcelona, Spain, has become the world’s tallest church, the BBC reported. It now stands 162.91 meters high, surpassing Ulm Minster in Germany, which had held the record since 1890. Construction of the church…
