Pictures: World's Biggest Tent Rises in Kazakhstan

Giant Tentpole

Photograph by Will Webster, Getty Images

The Khan Shatyr, which took three and a half years to complete, is said to be the world's largest tent—or to be more precise, the world's largest tensile structure.

A 492-foot (150-meter) tripod mast weighing 2,000 tons (pictured above) stands at the center of the Khan Shatyr, supporting a vast web of steel cable nets and three layers of transparent plastic, which allow daylight in while retaining heat.

Construction required 650 professional mountain climbers and had to be carefully timed to avoid work during the region's harsh winters, when temperatures can dip to below -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius).

"The concept was to create a venue that could be enjoyed by the people of Astana at all times of year," Foster Partners' Dancey said.

(Related: "Horse Taming, Milking Started in Kazakhstan.")

Published August 31, 2010

Monorail in a Tent

Photograph by Will Webster, Getty Images

Workers put finishing touches on a monorail car in the Khan Shatyr in June.

Despite its unconventional outward design, the interior of the Khan Shatyr should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a U.S. shopping mall, said William Fierman, a professor of central Eurasian studies at Indiana University who recently visited the newly opened center.

"The biggest difference is the amusement rides in the Khan Shatyr," Fierman said.

The Khan Shatyr has a 1.5-million-square-foot (140,000 square meter) foundation, and its multiple levels house cafes, restaurants, shops, movie theaters, spas, rides, and even an indoor "beach"—complete with sand—on the top floor (beach pictures).

(Sample music from Kazakhstan.)

Published August 31, 2010

Tent Aglow

Photograph by Will Webster, Getty Images

The Khan Shatyr fills the archway of the Astana headquarters of KazMunaiGas, Kazakhstan's state-owned gas and oil company, in a June picture.

Unlike Italy's Tower of Pisa, the Khan Shatyr is supposed to lean to the side, Foster Partners' Dancey explained: "Its orientation is designed to align Khan Shatyr with the master plan for the city and to provide an end point for its dramatic central axis," he said.

(See "Leaning Church Topples Pisa's Record.")

The Khan Shatyr sits at one end of a long promenade that runs through the center of the capital. At the other end is a pyramid-shaped cultural research center called the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, which Foster Partners also designed.

(From National Geographic magazine: "Central Asia Unveiled.")

Published August 31, 2010

Sweet Ride

Photograph by Will Webster, Getty Images

Kazakh workers assemble an amusement ride inside the Khan Shatyr in June.

The Khan Shatyr is just one of many new monumental projects in Astana. In addition to the pyramid-shaped Palace of Peace, the city also contains a 34-story-tall monument topped with a giant golden globe and a concert hall inspired by the petals of a flower.

The Khan Shatyr's opening on July 5 was marked by a multiday celebration that included a performance by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, fireworks, and appearances by several heads of state.

Published August 31, 2010

Then and Now

Photograph by Will Webster, Getty Images

The futuristic Khan Shatyr tent rises above more modest local houses in Astana in June.

While entry into the Khan Shatyr is free, many of its shops and entertainments likely won't cater to the average Kazakh citizen, Indiana University's Fierman said.

For example, access to the Khan Shatyr's artificial beach costs about $60 U.S.—while the average teacher salary in Kazakhstan is about $250 to $300 U.S. a year, Fierman said.

"Therefore, such lavish projects [as the beach] are obviously beyond the means of many people."

Published August 31, 2010