ALMATY - TENGRIAN CALENDAR FOUNTAIN

 

ALMATY - TENGRIAN CALENDAR FOUNTAIN

One of the more conspicuous features while walking around Almaty is its unusually large number of parks and fountains. Internet estimates put the number of fountains at around 120. While this is modest compared to Rome, Barcelona, or Paris, it is still impressive for a city of Almaty’s size.

Among these fountains, the most intriguing is the Tengrian Calendar Fountain, located in the park adjacent to the Academy of Sciences. On a late evening, I stumbled upon it while searching for the statue of Pushkin.

Tengrism is an ancient faith practiced by the Turkic and Mongol peoples of the Central Asian steppes. It is a complex shamanistic and animistic system of beliefs, centered around Tengri (the sky or heavens) and the spirits of nature. Incidentally, Air Astana’s lovely in-flight magazine is named Tengri.

Like the Chinese calendar, the Tengrian calendar also follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by an animal. Most of the animals are similar to those in the Chinese calendar, with two notable exceptions: the tiger and dragon are replaced by the snow leopard and snail, respectively.

The Calendar Fountain itself is a large, expansive bowl with twelve pedestals arranged along its periphery. Each pedestal holds a beautiful bronze sculpture of one of the calendar’s animals. In the center stands a tall pedestal topped with a sculpture of the Sun, its rays radiating outward. Water spouts from nozzles positioned behind the animals, flowing toward the Sun.

I perched on a bench overlooking the fountain, enjoying the changing lights and the cool evening air. The next morning, I returned early to take a closer look at the animals.

Wandering without a plan can lead to unexpected delights.