Oskemen

Located at the confluence of the Irtysh and the Ulba rivers, Oskemen is most famous for its vibrant electric-blue mosque. The city of Oskemen was founded in 1720 by the orders of Peter the Great, who was sending an expedition in search of gold. A fortress was built, and eventually became an important industrial center in terms of metal mining. Oskemen was a key city in the building of Soviet nuclear bombs and for years was kept closed to outsiders as a result. Unfortunately, this resulted in the explosion of 1990 that caused a cloud of highly toxic gas to hang over the city. As the result, the city is still very polluted and many Kazakhstanis report high cancer rates in the area.
A must-see is the vibrant, blue Ust-Kamenogorsk City Mosque. During summers, Oskemen goes green with lush plant life and wildflowers, and the Zhambyl Zhabayev Park is nothing less than charming. Oskemen is quite famous for its honey that is sold in the surrounding villages. The Strelka is a strip of land between the Irtysh and Ulba rivers, a lovely spot for a stroll or to spend an evening.