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.
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