MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) Kazakhstan's acting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested on Wednesday renaming the country's capital Astana to Nursultan after Nusrsultan Nazarbayev, the former head of state who resigned in yesterday's address to the nation.
Astana's history starts with the construction of the Akmola fortress that was erected by the Russian army in 1830. Since 1832, it was the village of Akmola, in 1863, the city of Akmolinsk emerged at the site of the village. In 1961-1992, the city was called Tselinograd, it was later renamed to Akmola and in 1998, it received its present name, Astana. Since December 1997, Astana has been the capital of Kazakhstan.
According to historical tradition, the city was founded by the Phrygians in the seventh century B.C. It was under Persian rule in sixth-fourth century B.C. In 334-333 B.C. it was conquered by Alexander the Great. From 189 to 25 B.C., it was the center of the Celtic speaking Galatians, who called it Ancyra. Then, for four centuries, it was in the possession of the Roman Empire, and in 395-1073, it was under the control of the Byzantine Empire. In 1073, under the rule of the Turkic conquerors, it was known as Enguru (Persian for raisin). In 1101, the crusaders returned the city under the rule of the Byzantine emperors, and then it was again seized by the Turkic rulers. Since 1354, it became part of the Ottoman Empire. After the city became the capital of the newly founded Republic of Turkey in 1923, it received its modern name Ankara.
The city was founded in 1881 as a fortification and named after the nearby settlement of Askhabad, which means beloved city. In 1919, it was renamed to Poltoratsk, in memory of Pavel Poltoratsky, the chairman of the Soviet of National Economy of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1888-1918). With the formation of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924, the city became its capital. Its original name was restored in 1927, but in the form of Ashgabat.
The city was founded in 1816 by the British and named Bathurst after the 3rd Earl Bathurst, the secretary of state for the British Colonies. It was used as a seaport and a stronghold for suppressing the slave trade. In 1889, Bathurst became the capital of the British colony and the Gambia colony and protectorate. In 1965, the country gained independence, and in 1973 its capital was renamed Banjul.
The city was founded in 1878 as a settlement on the site of the former Kokand fortress Pishpek. In 1926, it was renamed Frunze after the Soviet military leader Mikhail Frunze (1885-1925) and became the capital of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and later, in 1936 - the capital of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic. The question of renaming the capital arose after Kyrgyzstan gained independence. In 1991, the city got back its old name in a modified form and became Bishkek.
The city was founded in 1897 and was named Usumbura. It was first discovered by Europeans in 1871. The most important military camp in German East Africa was built there. In 1946-1962, the city was the administrative center of the Belgian League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. In 1962, the city changed its name to Bujumbura and became the capital of the independent Burundi.
The city was founded in the 10th century on the river Viliya and was called Vilnia up to 1918. The name was formed from the hydronym Viliya, which appeared from the Slavic word Velja, which means big. Since 1795, it was part of Russia. After the independence of Lithuania was declared in 1918, the city was officially proclaimed the capital of the state. In 1920-1939, it was part of Poland and was called Vilna. In 1939, the city became part of the Soviet Union together with Western Belarus, was transferred to Lithuania and renamed Vilnius.
The city was founded in 1527, when the troops of the Sultanate of Demak defeated the Portuguese fleet and, after capturing Sunda Kelapa settlement, called it Jayakarta, which means "victorious city" in Indonesian. In 1619, it was destroyed by the Dutch and the Batavia Castle was built there. In 1621, the castle became the center of the new city, which received the same name. In 1942, Batavia was renamed Jakarta, and in 1945, it became the capital of Indonesia.
The city was formed in 1925 from a village named Dushanbe, which was previously named Dushanbe Bozor (Bazaar on Mondays) and was located on the Dushanbinka River. In 1929, it became the capital of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic and was renamed Stalinabad after Joseph Stalin. In 1961, the city got its old name back. Since 1991, it became the capital of Tajikistan.
Yerevan was first mentioned in the cuneiform texts of the 8th century BC as the fortress of Erebuni. After Eastern Armenia became part of the Russian Empire in 1828, the city's official name was Erivan. In 1936 the city was renamed back to Yerevan. On May 28, 1918, the city was proclaimed the capital of the First Republic of Armenia. It was the capital of Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic since 1920, and the capital of Armenia since 1991.
KINSHASA (the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
The city was founded in 1881 by the Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley as a military post in honor of the King Leopold II of Belgium. Since 1926, the city was the administrative center of the Belgian Congo colony. Since 1960, it became the capital of the independent Democratic Republic of Congo, and, in 1966, Leopoldville was renamed Kinshasa after the Bateke village, which was earlier located there.
The city was founded in 1827 by British captain William Owen, and was named Port Clarence. From 1843 to 1968, it was the administrative center of Spanish Guinea and was called Santa Isabel. Since 1968, after the country achieved its independence, the city has been the capital of Equatorial Guinea. In 1973, it was renamed Malabo in honor of Malabo Lopelo Melaka, the last Bubi king.
The city was founded in 1048 and was called Oslo, which meant "the mouth of the Lo river," because of its location. In 1624, it was renamed Christiania after King Christian IV. The name Oslo remained the same only for the southern part of the capital. In 1814, the city became the capital of Norway, and, in 1925, its name was changed back to the original Oslo.
The first mention of a settlement on the site of modern Beijing dates back to the second millennium B.C. During its existence, the settlement has repeatedly become the capital of various state formations that arose in the north of China.
In the first millennium B.C., here was the capital of state of Yan called Ji. In the third century A.C. the city was renamed to Youzhou. The city changed its name nearly each time when a new dynasty came to power. In the medieval period, the city was called Beiping.
In 1927-2949, the capital was formally removed to Nanjing, while Beijing's name was returned to Beiping.
In October 1949, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People's Republic of China and announced Beiping to be its capital. In English, it is commonly written as Beijing.
The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1154. The city was called Kolyvan until 18th century, the name, which may have come from the Estonian mythical hero Kalev. In 18th-19th centuries, the city was under the rule of Denmark and Sweden and it was called Reval, by the name of surrounding area. Reval was in use until 1918.
The city was renamed to Tallinn after Estonia became independent in 1918.
The name Tbilisi is first mentioned in the fourth century, and its appearance is associated with the presence of warm sulfur springs in the area. The word tbili means "warm" in English.
The city was called Tiflis in the Russian official use until 1936, the form which was learned from Greek literature. In 1936, Tbilisi was adopted as the official name, which sounds closer to the national accent.
The city was founded by King Gustav I of Sweden as the trade city of Helsinforgs. Since 1812, it was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland as part of the Russian Empire. Since December 1917, it has been the capital of independent Finland, with the Finnish name of Helsinki being officially established.
