Kokshetau

Kokshetau lies among the hills and lakes of northern Kazakhstan, on the southern shore of Lake Kopa. The wooded hills rise above the surrounding steppe, giving the region its name, often rendered as “blue mountain.” The town grew from a Russian administrative post established farther south, near the foot of Mount Kokshe.

In 1824 a district administration was opened near Lake Ulken Shabakty at the camp of Khan Wali. Local people opposed its chosen location, and in 1827 the administration moved to the southern shore of Lake Kopa, beneath Bukpa Hill. A defensive picket was established there, and a new settlement grew around the district office. The move placed the Russian post within a landscape long inhabited and used by Kazakh communities.