The main square is always the face of any city, and some squares even become the landmarks of entire countries. Shymkent Square is not an exception, for a long time it was named after V.I. Lenin, whose monument is associated with urban planning of the Soviet period.
Now the square is named after the son of the great Kazakh steppes, “The Second Teacher" (after Aristotle), a talented thinker and philosopher - Al-Farabi. The area is of particular importance for the city, because it is located in the very center where the main tourist routes converge. The square is surrounded by such iconic objects as the Russian Drama Theater, the monuments of Al-Farabi and A. Askarov, the first secretary of the Shymkent Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.
One of the city’s young sights, the pedestrian quarter of Beibitshilik Street, called Arbat among the locals, adjoins the square. Arbat is a favorite place for walks of residents and guests of the metropolis. The atmosphere of the pedestrian street is created by numerous street musicians, artists and souvenir dealers. Cozy coffee houses hospitably open their doors, inviting you to drink aromatic coffee and enjoy a unique light installation in the form of 12 fluttering angels and minimalistic umbrellas.
Despite the fact that the third metropolis of Kazakhstan is expanding dynamically, the area of the square continues to be a crowded center, and Arbat is a vivid example of a metropolis transforming to the concept of a city for people.
