East Kazakhstan
East Kazakhstan Region, in the Altai area of northeastern Kazakhstan, has Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk) as its administrative centre. It hosts the Shygys Salburyny, an international festival of hunting with eagles, falcons and goshawks.
The story of East Kazakhstan
East Kazakhstan Region has Oskemen, also known as Ust-Kamenogorsk, as its administrative centre. Its towns include Altai (formerly Zyryan), which gives its name to Altai District. The region was formed from two Soviet-era oblasts, East Kazakhstan and Semipalatinsk.
On 17 March 2022 the government announced that the region would be divided to create Abai Region. The change took effect on 8 June 2022, when eight districts moved to the new region, and the new border roughly follows the boundary between the two former Soviet-era oblasts.
The 2021 census counted 1,363,656 residents in the territory before the division, and the region today has about 720,000 inhabitants. Since 2020 it has also been the setting for the Shygys Salburyny falconry festival, held each autumn near Oskemen.
Falconry in East Kazakhstan
East Kazakhstan hosts the Shygys Salburyny, an international festival of traditional hunting with birds of prey. It began in 2020 in the village of Bozanbai and marked its fifth anniversary in 2025. The 2025 edition ran from 8 to 11 October on Burkit Tobe hill in the Ulan district near Oskemen.
About 148 participants from seven countries (China, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Spain) took part, and more than 10,000 spectators attended. Hunters competed with golden eagles, falcons and goshawks, and judges assessed skill, training and respect for hunting traditions.
Of 107 birds, nine reached the finals. An ethno-village of 40 yurts offered craft exhibitions, workshops and reenactments of Kazakh rituals. Kazakhstan is among the states on the UNESCO list of falconry as a living human heritage.
The Shygys Salburyny festival began in 2020 in the village of Bozanbai with about 15 participants and had grown to nearly 150 by its fifth anniversary in 2025.
Astana Times: Wings of TraditionList your business on the pages of the events you attend, so buyers and partners find you before the show.
- Astana Times: Wings of Tradition, Falconry Festival Takes Flight in East Kazakhstan Region
- Wikipedia: East Kazakhstan Region
- UNESCO decision 16.COM 8.B.14 (falconry)
Facts on this page come from the sources below, checked on the date of writing. Check with the organiser before travelling.