Kazakhstan’s Almaty Earns Prestigious World Craft City Title for Cultural Leadership

Kazakhstan's Almaty city has received the distinguished title of World Craft City from the World Crafts Council, recognizing its pivotal role in preserving cultural heritage and nurturing artisanal traditions.

The announcement was made during a ceremony at the ALA CRAFT 2025 festival in front of the Palace of the Republic. The event drew over 100 artisans from Kazakhstan, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the US, celebrating the rich diversity of global craftsmanship, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kazakh media.

Galiya Tokseitova, head of Almaty’s Tourism Department, highlighted that the new status is expected to boost the city’s creative economy and position local crafts as a significant economic resource.

Jude van der Merwe, President of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Crafts Council, praised Almaty’s recognition as a testament to the city’s valuable contributions to craft development and international cultural exchange.

Almaty’s rising prominence as a cultural hub is reflected in tourism figures: the city welcomed 1.14 million visitors in the first half of 2025, including 323,000 international tourists.

A standout moment at the festival featured Kazakh strongman Sergey Tsyryulnikov, a four-time world record holder, who set a new Global Book of Records mark by bending nine horseshoes in one minute-tripling the previous record.

In related news, the Almaty City Administration has allocated 12.2 billion tenge from its budget to build the Children’s Science Museum, the first institution of its kind in the CIS region, further strengthening the city’s cultural and educational offerings.