Bayterek Tower – Astana, Kazakhstan

Bayterek (Kazakh: Бәйтерек, Bäyterek, "tall poplar [tree]"), is a monument and observation tower in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. A tourist attraction popular with foreign visitors and native Kazakhs alike, it is emblematic of the city, which became capital of the country in 1997. The monument is meant to embody a folktale about a mythical tree of life and a magic bird of happiness: the bird, named Samruk, had laid its egg in the crevice between two branches of a poplar tree. The 105 m tall structure rises from a wide flat base within a raised plaza. It consists of…