Presidential Park, one of the largest in the world, is a green oasis in the centre of Astana, complementing the organic unity of the Palace of Peace and Accord and linking with the surrounding residential buildings and Hazrat Sultan Mosque. It is an open space with a variety of grassy surfaces and shallow ponds with typical reed vegetation as well as the dense foliage of tall trees planted on the hills. The central fountain, and the mainstay of the Park, represents the holy bird known as "Samruk". Dry in the early morning and forming a pedestrian square, the granite basin shoots water jets at mid-day and transforms into a lake, only to eventually drain like a river through a cascade, becoming pedestrian once more.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
