The eastern half of Nurzhol bulvar starts with this plaza, which springs to life with music-and-water shows at 9pm on summer evenings. Further east stand twin golden-green, conical business centres: the southern one contains the headquarters of Samryk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund. Curving away left and right from these towers are the two wings of the House of Ministries, flanked by the Senate and Mazhilis, the towers of parliament. Straight ahead stands the white-pillared presidential palace, the Ak Orda.