The city might not be on the lips of the architectural elite, but Kazakhstan’s capital Astana now has the world’s biggest tent to pride itself on, Dubai-style.

The Khan Shatyr (or ‘Royal Marquee’, in English) measures an astounding 150 meters high, with a 200 meter elliptical base covering 140,000 square meters, an area larger than 10 football stadiums. It was unveiled on 5 July by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in a star-studded event.



Designed by British architect Lord Norman Foster, the Khan Shatyr is a lifestyle, shopping and entertainment center.

The giant tent will also house an indoor beach resort, and the whole thing is climate-controlled in accordance to the -35 to +35 degrees Celsius temperatures the nation experiences across the year.

Borat’s got nothing on this one.

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