THE Bayterek Observation Tower came to mind as we landed at the Astana International Airport, located 16.7km southeast of the Kazakhstan capital city of Astana. Travelling to Kazakhstan, and particularly the capital for the first time, I could only picture the observation tower and skyscrapers after doing my Google image research on Astana. My presence here (in July 2013) was at the invitation of the Kazakhstan Embassy. I was with five other Malaysian media members to witness the celebration of Astana’s 15th anniversary. As we drove along the road towards the city centre, the capital slowly unfolded itself from a vast flat field to an urban ground with unique architecture buildings and skyscrapers. The first thing that stood out from a distance was a tall structure crowned by a golden, glittering globe — the Bayterek Observation Tower, a landmark of the Kazakh capital.