Almaty - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Lovely silk and felt hand made scarves, carpets, but not much, there are a few souvenir shops around, many things are made of camel wool, sometimes fur and leather as Kazakhs were nomads and relied heavily on meat, horses, camels and wool and fur to keep warm in winter. - Sep 2023
Carpets and textiles (although they come from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, they seem to have stopped making nice carpets in Kazakhstan about 30 years ago), and horsemeat (but don't take it back to America, customs will seize it!) - Aug 2015
There is lots of stuff to buy - carpets, Uzbek pottery, embroidered clothes, felt, etc. - Feb 2013
Carpets, funny hats of all varieties, felt handicrafts. - May 2012
Carpets (the better ones are from Turkmenistan or Afghanistan, but available locally), felt shoes, local paintings and vodka, but this is not a shopper's paradise. Things are relatively expensive. - Mar 2010
They have some local felt rugs that are nice, and some regional pottery ( Uzbekistan), really cool fur hats. - Mar 2008
