New Street Near Astana Arena Named After Famous Explorer

During an extraordinary session of the Maslikhat, an initiative was approved to bestow European names upon two city streets as a symbol of mutual cultural cooperation and respect with Bulgaria and Italy. This was announced by Doszhan Isabek, Deputy Head of the Department for Language Development and Archives.

According to official data, street E-524 (project name), located in the Nura district, will be named Sofia after the capital city of the Republic of Bulgaria. This decision was made within the framework of bilateral international respect; previously, one of the streets in the Bulgarian capital, spanning over one kilometer, was named "Astana". The new Sofia Street in the capital has a length of 535 meters, and major sites such as the Hilton Hotel and the National Museum of Reconciliation are located along its path.

Furthermore, Maslikhat deputies approved naming the previously unnamed street between the "Astana Arena" stadium and the "Alau" ice palace after the famous Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer Marco Polo. The initiative to name this street, which begins at Turan Avenue and ends at Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, after the historic Euro-Atlantic figure was first raised in September 2025. The department representative reminded that this step is also rooted in mutual cultural ties—specifically noting that in 2025, a monument to the great Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbaiuly was unveiled in Rome's famous Villa Borghese park.

The proposed new names have been approved by the City Onomastics Commission and will undergo the appropriate formal registration to be integrated into official documentation, navigation systems, and mobile applications.