The capital has been renamed several times since it was founded in 1830. Borat's Kazakhstan is to change its name to 'Qazaqstan' in a bid to snub Putin's Russia. The city received an official name change in May 1998 from Aqmola, which meant "white grave." The parliament of the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan on Wednesday March 20, 2019, has voted to rename the country’s capital to Nursultan, … This isn’t the first time Astana’s name has changed over the years; when the city was founded in 1830, it was called Akmoly. “In his first speech a President of Kazakhstan, Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave a very clear rationale: renaming the capital is an acknowledgment of the historical merit of the Leader of the Nation and a way to perpetuate his name. Kazakhstan has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. Kazakhstan's new interim president was sworn in Wednesday following the shock resignation of the country's long-time ruler and in his first official act renamed the capital after his predecessor. The move means the national capital is now in the geographical center of the country, rather than in its largest city. Astana, protests against the name change of the capital: 20 people arrested The decision to rename Astana was made by the interim president Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev. Renaming cities The capital residents don’t need to change their documents. “In his first speech a President of Kazakhstan, Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave a very clear rationale: renaming the capital is an acknowledgment of the historical merit of the Leader of the Nation and a way to perpetuate his name. The Kazakh foreign ministry said the move is part of the country's modernisation strategy. The capital residents don’t need to change their documents. Kazakhstan on Saturday renamed the country's capital 'Nursultan' to honour its ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Kazakh government attempted to change to capital city’s name to Nursultan in 2016, but the project never came to fruition, until now. The Kazakh territory was a key constituent of the Eurasian trading Steppe Route, the ancestor of the terrestrial Silk Roads.Archaeologists believe that humans first domesticated the horse (i.e. The country has already changed the name of its capital several times since it emerged as an independent nation, in the 1990s. In a statement from the president's official website, Kazakhstan's new president Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev ratified the proposal to change the name of the country's capital … Kazakhstan has renamed its capital Astana as Nur-Sultan in honour of the country's longtime president who resigned in a surprise move earlier this week. Also on rt.com Kazakhstan to remain Russia’s key ally after Nazarbayev resigns as president, but stays in govt . Astana, which means "capital" in Kazakh, became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, taking over from Almaty, still the country's commercial hub and largest population centre. Its name, at least, will stay the same, a foreign ministry official reassured. Photograph: Getty The Byterek tower is viewed from outside the Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Pastoralism developed during the Neolithic, as the region's climate and terrain are best suited for a nomadic lifestyle.. The country decided to move the national capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997. On June 10, 1998, Kazakhs celebrated the unveiling of their new capital, Astana, which means "capital."