Beskol ( kk, Бескөл, ''Besköl'') is a village in
Almaty Region of south-eastern
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
Beskol, which means Five Lakes in
Kazakh, has a roughly 50% Russian, 50% Kazakh mix.
The primary employer is the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
, which is important both as a passenger and freight stop – trains travel through here to both
Almaty and
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
, and west to
Urumqi in
China. There is also a fish canning factory, mostly known for its noxious smell.
The largest building in Beskol is the school, which in 2011 celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the two-story building is one of the only ones in town, with most buildings being
bungalows
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
The first house in England that was classified as a b ...
- the predominant design in rural Kazakhstan.
Just outside before reaching the Beskol sign, is the Zerat cemetery, which is the
Muslim cemetery for Beskol and the other villages in the area; Sakhsavode, Bulakta, Zagatzerno and Sveklabaza.
There is a small Russian Orthodox Cemetery behind Sakhsavode.
The Kazakhstan-China Oil pipeline will pass behind Beskol, with work clearly taking place.
Beskol lies at the feet of the northern end of
Zhungar Alatau mountain range, a formerly contentious
border zone with China that requires special permits to explore properly.
There is currently a
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
education volunteer in Beskol.
Notable residents
Askhat Zhitkeyev
Askhat Rasulovich Zhitkeyev ( kk, Asqat Rasulūly Jıtkeev, born 13 April 1981) is a Kazakh judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally ...
,
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
ka, 2008 Olympic silver medalist
External links
Tageo.com
Populated places in Almaty Region
{{Almaty-geo-stub