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Old photos of Almaty

13 photographs of Almaty, from 1886 to 1960 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

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What the photos show

The 13 photographs of Almaty on PlaceWas span 6 decades, from 1886 to 1960. 13 of them were taken before 1980; the other 0 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.2 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.13 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

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Places in Almaty through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Sel Malaya Almatinka, Almaty — photos through time
Sel Malaya Almatinka 8 photos · 1886–1960
Ascension Cathedral, Almaty — photos through time
Ascension Cathedral 5 photos · 1887–1913

Stories from Almaty

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Верный. Дворцовая пл., гимназия.(N1129)Ордэн,~1887 Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия 13 o e1, Almaty, 1886
Верный. Дворцовая пл., гимназия.(N1129)Ордэн,~1887 Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия 13 o e1 1886 Taken around 1887 in Verny, the Russian garrison town founded in 1854 that later became Almaty, this image shows Palace Square and the town's gymnasium, part of a photographic album documenting the Caucasus and Central…
Верный. Развалины собора.(N1136)Ордэн,1887-1888гг.Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия o, Almaty, 1887
Верный. Развалины собора.(N1136)Ордэн,1887-1888гг.Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия o 1887 This 1887 to 1888 photograph shows the ruins of a cathedral in Verny, present-day Almaty, likely damaged in the major earthquake that struck the town in 1887 and destroyed much of its brick and stone construction, and…
Ascension Cathedral in Verny88, Almaty, 1906
Ascension Cathedral in Verny88 1906 This 1906 photograph shows the Ascension Cathedral in Verny, the Russian colonial town later renamed Almaty, a Russian Orthodox cathedral built almost entirely of wood in the early 1900s to help it withstand the region's…
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake93, Almaty, 1907
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake93 1907 This 1907 photograph shows a chapel built in Verny to commemorate the destructive earthquake of 1887, which had leveled much of the Russian garrison town later renamed Almaty and killed hundreds of its residents.
Ascension Cathedral in Verny87, Almaty, 1909
Ascension Cathedral in Verny87 1909 By 1909, when this photograph was taken, the Ascension Cathedral towered over Verny, the Russian town in present-day Kazakhstan later renamed Almaty, built largely of wood so that it could better withstand the region's…
Ascension Cathedral in Verny89, Almaty, 1912
Ascension Cathedral in Verny89 1912 The Ascension Cathedral in Verny, present-day Almaty, is shown here in 1912, several years after its completion as a wooden cathedral designed by architect Andrei Zenkov to withstand the region's earthquakes.
Ascension Cathedral, Almaty, 1913
Ascension Cathedral 1913 By 1913 the Ascension Cathedral had become a landmark of Verny, the Russian town later renamed Almaty, admired for its wooden construction, built without nails, designed to endure the area's frequent tremors.
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake92, Almaty, 1916
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake92 1916 This 1916 photograph again shows the memorial chapel in Verny built to honor victims of the town's major 1887 earthquake, part of the Russian settlement in present-day Kazakhstan that grew into the city of Almaty.
1880s · 2 photos
Верный. Дворцовая пл., гимназия.(N1129)Ордэн,~1887 Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия 13 o e1, Almaty, 1886
Верный. Дворцовая пл., гимназия.(N1129)Ордэн,~1887 Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия 13 o e1 1886
Верный. Развалины собора.(N1136)Ордэн,1887-1888гг.Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия o, Almaty, 1887
Верный. Развалины собора.(N1136)Ордэн,1887-1888гг.Альбом.1-4.Кавказ и Ср.Азия o 1887
1900s · 4 photos
Ascension Cathedral in Verny88, Almaty, 1906
Ascension Cathedral in Verny88 1906
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake93, Almaty, 1907
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake93 1907
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake94, Almaty, 1907
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake94 1907
Ascension Cathedral in Verny87, Almaty, 1909
Ascension Cathedral in Verny87 1909
1910s · 4 photos
Krestovaya Church at the Bishops house in Verny90, Almaty, 1910
Krestovaya Church at the Bishops house in Verny90 1910
Ascension Cathedral in Verny89, Almaty, 1912
Ascension Cathedral in Verny89 1912
Ascension Cathedral, Almaty, 1913
Ascension Cathedral 1913
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake92, Almaty, 1916
Chapel in memory of the Verny earthquake92 1916
1920s · 1 photo
Sel Malaya Almatinka, Almaty, 1921
Sel Malaya Almatinka 1921
1940s · 1 photo
Казанский храм г. Алматы в период гг, Almaty, 1944
Казанский храм г. Алматы в период гг 1944
1960s · 1 photo
EU: View of Alma-Ata, 1960 (1960), Almaty, 1960
EU: View of Alma-Ata, 1960 (1960) 1960