New street names in Petropavlovsk

Throughout Kazakhstan, work has begun on renaming streets, considered essential for “the revival of folk traditions and the strengthening of social unity”. The northern city is a prime example of this, as its name already expresses its close historical ties with the tsars. Here, the names of 28 streets in the Birlik district have been changed with the aim of harmonising the Russian and Kazakh spirits.

Astana (AsiaNews) - Following the grand national Kurultaj assembly last March, work has begun throughout Kazakhstan on renaming streets, considered essential for ‘the revival of popular traditions and the strengthening of unity in Kazakh society’, as explained by Myrzabek Tujganov, an official expert at the presidency for relations with the regions.

Since independence more than 30 years ago, onomastic issues ‘have taken on a special meaning: the names of cities, the country, the capital, regions and provinces, water basins, roads and many other landmarks provide information on many aspects of the history, language and geography of our state,’ Tujganov assures us.

The aim is to “revive the original names and confirm the new ones in the preservation and development of the spiritual heritage preserved in place names, through popular consultation and dialogue between all components of society”.

There is often a lack of adequate explanation of the “soundness and rationality of the decisions taken”, which is why a special “Onomastic Commission” has been set up.

One of the latest cities to take this path is the northern city of Petropavlovsk, whose very name expresses its close ties with imperial Russia. Here, attempts have been made to harmonise the Russian spirit with the Kazakh spirit, as in the Birlik district, where 28 streets have been renamed after a major debate in the maslikhat (municipal assembly).

The decisions were taken by a majority vote of a group of 73 citizens representing the entire local population of over 200,000. Birlik represents the desire to build a new future for the city after the floods of recent years, with new houses built to accommodate those left homeless.

The names were proposed by the council of veterans, together with other social organisations, in accordance with “linguistic legislation, methodological recommendations and onomastic guidelines at republican level”, as stated by the director of the department of culture, language development and sport of the Petropavlovsk Akimat, Danijar Žuldaspaev.

The new names were not only dedicated to writers, akiny (street poets and singers, typical of the Turan tradition) and prominent public figures already well known throughout the country, but, according to President Kasym-Žomart Tokaev, “we are looking for names that represent the society in which we live, not just the great memories of the past”.

In Birlik, many streets were still unnamed or repeated well-known place names, which complicated the work of the fire brigade, police, ambulances and other services. An attempt was therefore made to assign more precise and popular geographical names, not abstract but “from everyday life”, as maslikhat deputy Pavel Afanasev said.

Among the new names, there are many that sound very familiar to the ears of local residents, such as Kendala, Bastau and Aksaj, which recall settlements in the area, Atameken, named after the union of entrepreneurs, Botaj, which recalls the primitive nomads, the Botaj, Turan, for the union of Turkic-speaking peoples, Kokžar, which combines definitions of Russian-Kazakh agricultural practices, Žetisu, which indicates the region between the rivers, called Semireče by the Russians, Alaman Street, indicating the ability to move in desert areas, and Azattyk Street, the “Freedom Street”.