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| Inside a Ger or Yurt (portable nomadic dwelling shelter) |
The Independence Day reception was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Abu Dhabi.
Kazakhstan is filled with exotic beauty and colourful history and heritage of Central Asia. It is the largest in the CIS nations and it borders Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea.
This year Kazakhstan celebrates the 20th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet Union. To my eye, Kazakh people have Asian features (like Chinese or Mongolian) with a hint of Turkic or Near Eastern origin. Some of them appear to be fair-haired and blue- or grey-eyed.
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| Blimey, the yurt standing right in the centre of the garden! |
Yet they speak Russian in addition to Kazakh, and 2/3 of them are Muslim whereas the remaining 1/3 is mainly Russian Orthodox. How unique and intriguing!! I am fascinated by the history and cultures of the CIS nations!
As soon as I got to the Embassy, I found a number of young Kazakhs in their national costume greet and welcome guests at the front gate.
On the stage was a band with Kazakh musical instruments, folk dance, followed by a fun fashion show and a prize draw.
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| Young Kazakh men in elaborate, coat-like national costume. |
Once I stepped inside the yurt, I felt like I was indeed in Kazakhstan and immediately forget about Abu Dhabi!! It was quite warm inside (without any heater of course) and incredibly cosy in every single sense.
I have visited an Arab tent in the desert before and find all these portable shelters utterly charming and comfy! It's such an amazing experience to live in a tent like this out in the wilderness!
As soon as the Ambassador's speech and all the formalities were over, it was time to eat. The buffet was an international food fair - mixed grill of steaks, lamb chops, kebab, etc, pasta, sushi, all sorts of salad, soup, etc. etc.
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| Kazakh Manti (steamed and baked dumplings) |
There were so many items to choose from. The one that I was thrilled to try first was my favourite dumplings!
I bet those Kazakh 'manti' were stuffed with beef or lamb and the size of a dumpling was rather big. The accompanying condiments were sour cream and some red oily sauce that looked very hot but wasn't at all.
The baked dumpling was very similar to the sort you would find in China. Steamed or baked, both were heavenly yummy! Juicy inside, and the sour cream added a real nice touch.
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| Horse meat is a major source of protein in Central Asia. |
Pilaf (Palaw) was another staple dish. I tried it at the Tajik reception as well. It's got sliced carrots, raisins, nuts, and chunks of meat in it, quite flavourful and tasty but it also contains a generous amount of oil!
I shared a table with a number of Ambassadors' wives and we were literally busy trying to try out all the irresistible mouth-watering dishes! Regrettably I hardly had the time to take photos of the performances on stage!
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| Kazakh Bakery |
This reception was absolutely the best of all the receptions I had ever been to. It took me by surprise. It was extremely well-organised, full of amazing entertainment, fun and exciting! What a terrific evening! I just loved it all and even felt like wanting to relocate to Kazakhstan! lol
Later I joined a table of 2 European Ambassadors who were chilling out over a glass of vodka. We kept chatting about lots of things until 23.30.
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| Pilaf or Palaw |
It was clear that apart from the Embassy staff and some Kazakh guests, we were the last ones to leave the party! The party was still going on amongst them, but it was time for us to leave (it was only Wednesday!). We tried not to look too conspicuous and moved towards the gate!
The following evening a
Thai reception was to be held, so we parted saying 'See you tomorrow!".
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| Embassy of Kazakhstan |
I had so much fun this evening and was feeling sincerely grateful that all these CIS nations are now independent states. Before they gained independence, they were all part of Russia.
This means there used to be absolutely no respective CIS embassies or consulates exited anywhere in the world, hence no receptions to showcase or promote each respective culture, cuisine or heritage - it was all under the umbrella of the Russian Embassy.
Thank God and God bless Kazakhstan!!!
