Founded in 1830 as a settlement of Akmoly or Akmolinsky prikaz (
Russian: Акмолинский приказ), it served as a defensive
fortification for the
Siberian Cossacks. In 1832 the settlement was granted a town status and renamed
Akmolinsk (
Russian: Акмолинск).
[1] On 20 March 1961 the city was renamed
Tselinograd (
Russian: Целиноград,
lit. 'City of
tselina') to mark the city's evolution as a cultural and administrative center of the
Virgin Lands Campaign.
[20][1] In 1992 it was renamed
Akmola, the modified original name meaning "white grave".
[1][21] On 10 December 1997 Akmola replaced
Almaty as the capital of Kazakhstan. On 6 May 1998 it was renamed
Astana, which means "capital city" in Kazakh.
[22] On 20 March 2019, the capital again was renamed from Astana to its current name
Nur-Sultan in honor of the long-ruling Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev.
[23][24]