Bridge in Semey,[2] 2007NASA satellite photo of Semey
Semey (/sɪˈmeɪ,sɛ-/;Kazakh:Семей / Semei[sʲɪˈmʲej](listenⓘ), formerly known asSemipalatinsk (Russian:Семипалатинск[sʲɪmʲɪpɐˈɫatʲɪnsk]) until 2007 and asAlash-Qala (Kazakh:Алаш-қала / Alaş-qala[ɑˌɫɑʃ‿qɑˈɫɑ]) from 1917 to 1920, is a city in easternKazakhstan, in the Kazakh part ofSiberia. WhenAbai Region was created in 2022, Semey became its administrative centre. It lies along theIrtysh River near the border withRussia, 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) north ofAlmaty and 700 kilometers (430 mi) southeast of the Russian city ofOmsk. Its population is 312,764 (stat.gov.kz).
The first Russian settlement in the area dates from 1718, whenRussia built a fort beside the riverIrtysh, near the ruins of an ancientBuddhist monastery, where seven buildings could be seen. The fort (and later the city) was namedSemipalatinsk (Russian for "Seven-Chambered City") after the monastery. The fort suffered frequent flooding caused by snowmelt swelling the Irtysh.
In 1778 the fort was relocated 18 kilometres (11 mi) upstream to less flood-prone ground.[citation needed] A small city developed around the fort, and largely served the river trade between the nomadic peoples ofCentral Asia and the growingRussian Empire. The construction of theTurkestan-Siberia Railway in the early 20th century added to the city's importance, making it a major point of transit between Central Asia and Siberia. On 19 May 1854, Semipalatinsk was designated as the capital of theSemipalatinsk Oblast within the Russian Empire.
Between 1917 and 1920, the city operated as the capital of the largely unrecognizedAlash Autonomy, a state (1917–1920) established after the outbreak of theOctober Revolution in Russia. The city was calledAlash-qala during the Alash Autonomy years.Red Army forces loyal toPetrograd took control of the area in 1920. It was the center of theSemipalatinsk Governorate [ru] until 17 January 1928, then of theEast Kazakhstan Oblast between 17 January 1928 and 14 October 1939 and finally of theSemipalatinsk Oblast between 1939 and 1997.
In 1949 theSoviet atomic bomb programme selected a site on thesteppe 180 km (110 mi) west of the city as the location for its weapons testing. For decades,Kurchatov (the secret city at the heart of the test range named forIgor Kurchatov, father of the Soviet atomic bomb) was home to many of the brightest stars of Soviet weapons science. TheSoviet Union operated theSemipalatinsk Test Site (STS) from the first explosion in 1949 until 1989; 456 nuclear tests, including 340 underground and 116 atmospheric tests, took place there.[3]
Some land around Semey has suffered environmental and health effects from the time of its atomic prosperity: nuclear fallout from the atmospheric tests and uncontrolled exposure of the workers, some of whom lived in the area close to the testsite, have resulted in high rates ofcancer, childhoodleukemia, andbirth defects among the residents of neighbouring villages.[4]
Modern Semey, a bustling university town, has a population exceeding 350,000. Because of its proximity to the Kazakh border with the Russian Federation, and the large scientific community attached to the STS labs and the university, which includes many Russians, Semey is said to have a more Russian character than other cities in Kazakhstan.
TheSemey Bridge, a suspension bridge across the Irtish River, connects the two major parts of Semey. It has a main span of 750 metres (2,460 ft) and a total length of 1,086 metres (3,563 ft).[5] Construction began in 1998 and the bridge opened to traffic in November 2000.[6]
In 2007 the Semipalatinsk City Council voted unanimously in favour of changing the name of the city toSemey. The Chairman said that existing name had negative associations because of the extensive atomic testing there.[7]
Semey has a coldsemi-arid climate, with warm summers and very cold winters. Precipitation is low for the whole year, except for July which has an average of 50 millimetres (2.0 in) compared to less than 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in other months. Snow is common, though light, in winter. The lowest temperature on record is −48.6 °C (−55.5 °F), recorded in November 1910, and the highest temperature is 42.5 °C (108.5 °F), recorded in August 2002.[9]
Climate data for Semey (1991–2020, extremes 1854–present)
Both a museum and a street are named after Dostoyevsky. The Museum of F. M. Dostoevsky in Semey was opened on 7 May 1971. It was established by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of theKazakh SSR N 261. Of the seven museums devoted to Dostoevsky, this is the only one located outside Russia.
Semey is famous for its intellectual medical community with leadingSemey Medical University which provides the region and the country with highly professional health specialists.
^Vakulchuk, R., Gjerde, K., Belikhina, T. and Apsalikov, K. 2014. Semipalatinsk nuclear testing: the humanitarian consequences. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323116670
^"Семипалатинск исчезнет с карты Казахстана [Semipalatinsk disappears from the map of Kazakhstan]". Byvshiy SSSR [The former USSR].Lenta.ru. 19 June 2007. Retrieved10 September 2015.Депутаты городского собрания Семипалатинска единогласно проголосовали за переименование города в Семей. [...] 'Прежнее название немного отпугивало инвесторов, так как ассоциировалось с полигоном. [...]', - пояснил решение депутатов председатель сессии горсовета Куат Мирашев. [The representatives of the city corporation of Semipalatinsk voted unanimously for renaming the city as Cemey. 'The former name rather discouraged investors, since it was associated with the [atomic] test-site. [...]', said the chairman of the session of the city council, Kuat Mirashev, in explaining the decision.]
