Rainer Spurzem visited Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute (National Space Agency of Kazakhstan) from Feb. 13-19. The institute, with director Chingis Omarov, has a collaboration with Silk Road Project on star-gas interactions in galactic nuclei, and this time also preparations for the upcoming MODEST-13 in Almaty were due. See also links to their two main observatory sites Assy and Tian Shan . The institute itself is located above the city and also has some small instrument domes.

Tien Shan Mountains south of Almaty and the Observatory.
Note, leftmost, next to tree, the "Matterhorn", Peak Almaty (3600 m).
Rainer Spurzem at the institute. Director Chingis Omarov at the main entrance to the institute. Piles of Snow in February 2013, Entrance to the institute. Leonid Chechin, Rainer Spurzem, Chingis Omarov, in front of historic oil Painting of the observatory of 1965; in the institute main hall.Note the characteristic shape of Mount Almaty in the background right...
Almaty at Night

Source of this Picture: Wikimedia Commons, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Almaty,_Kok-tobe_exposition_3.jpg