November 2023: I traveled to Northeast Kazakhstan for a week to indulge my fascination with the Soviet era, as Kazakhstan was once part of the USSR. I’ve long been intrigued by the Cold War—the clash of ideologies, espionage, brutalist architecture, and the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation that the world lived under for decades. Had the Soviet Union not acquired nuclear weapons, the Cold War might never have unfolded as it did. But they did, and the place where these weapons were developed and tested was the desolate steppes of northeast Kazakhstan, in a vast area known as the Semipalatinsk Test Site, or “The Polygon,” named for its geometric shape.
This was my second visit to Kazakhstan, and my goal was to explore the Polygon nuclear testing grounds and the once-secretive regions surrounding it. I wanted to learn more about this dark chapter in human history, where vast tracts of land and countless lives were sacrificed for weapons capable of destroying the world many times over. Ironically, it was these very weapons that prevented the Soviet Union and the United States from ever engaging in direct conflict. Instead, they fought through proxies in wars that continue to shape the world today—in Vietnam, Korea, parts of Africa, and beyond—wars that cost millions of lives.
About the Polygon
The Polygon, an 18,000 square kilometer expanse of flat steppe, served as the primary nuclear testing site for the Soviets. After acquiring nuclear technology—likely through espionage from the USA—the Soviets detonated 450 atomic and hydrogen bombs in this region between 1949 and 1989, up until the fall of the Soviet Union. For decades, this part of Kazakhstan was one of the most closed-off areas in the world, heavily guarded by KGB spies. It wasn’t until the Soviet Union collapsed that the region finally became accessible to the outside world, revealing the extent of the damage caused by radiation to both the land and its inhabitants. Fallout from the tests exposed thousands of people and animals to radiation, and to this day, residents living within hundreds of miles of the test site experience elevated levels of cancer and birth defects. Local villages severely impacted by radiation, with mutated DNA, have even developed a subculture that takes pride in their mutations, considering the radiation-tainted food and water a necessary part of their way of life.
Relics of the Cold War are everywhere in the region. Bunkers and testing facilities dot the landscape of the Polygon, while just outside lies Kurchatov, the key nuclear research center where scientists who developed the testing program lived under heavy KGB protection. Kurchatov is filled with abandoned Cold War-era buildings, remnants of a time when secrecy and control were paramount.
Like Chernobyl, the Polygon is one of the most radiation-contaminated areas in the world; however, unlike Chernobyl, which was contaminated by accident, the Polygon was deliberately exposed through testing. Today, scientists continue to study the long-term effects of radiation on both people and animals in the area. Although radiation levels remain high in certain sections, visiting the Polygon is considered safe as long as exposure is limited. Precautions are taken to ensure safety, such as restricting stays to short durations and avoiding contact with the ground, food, water, and dust. Some core areas of the Polygon that were previously accessible are now off-limits due to higher radiation levels.
Polygon highlighted in orange
Ist Visit to Kazakhstan in Almaty in 2012
During my first visit to Kazakhstan in May 2012, I had to obtain a visa in Washington, D.C. Now, over a decade later, travel to Kazakhstan has become visa-free for Americans. On that previous trip, I traveled independently, taking a public bus overland from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan before it was moved to Astana. In Almaty, I explored the city on foot, spending two days visiting Soviet monuments and immersing myself in the local culture. I quickly realized that Almaty is vastly different from Astana, both in geography and architecture.
President, Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev
In 2012, Kazakhstan was ruled by President Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev, a Soviet-era strongman who became one of the world’s longest-serving dictators, holding power for 30 years. His regime was ultimately overthrown in 2022, following a revolution fueled by the growing disparity between the rich and poor and the lack of trickle-down wealth from Kazakhstan’s abundant oil, natural gas, and mining resources. During my time in Almaty, murals of Nazarbayev were commonplace, serving as reminders of his influence, while obvious indicators of wealth stood in stark contrast to the pervasive poverty throughout the city.
Stretch Limo Humvee
TV Tower from Soviet era
Kazakh wedding at a World War II Soviet Monument, one of the coolest monuments I have ever seen
Astana and Polygon in 2023
On my most recent trip to visit the Polygon, I first flew into Astana with my friends Richard, Wes, and Frank. As the closest city to the Polygon, Astana served as our gateway. The city became the capital of Kazakhstan in the 1990s and is characterized by its ultra-modern and often extravagant architecture. Originally named Nur-Sultan in honor of the long-ruling President Nazarbayev, the city was renamed Astana following the protests that ultimately led to his overthrow in 2022.
While ultramodern cities typically don’t captivate me, I found the grandeur of Astana rising from the desolate frozen steppe of Kazakhstan to be fascinating. My friends and I walked for miles, exploring the city. The highlight of our visit was the science museum, housed in a giant sphere made entirely of glass that rises hundreds of feet into the sky. It showcases various sciences, particularly energy and the universe, through spectacular displays of technological wonder. This was easily the finest science museum I have ever visited.
Astana Monuments
Astana Monuments
Astana Bridge
Largest mosque in Astana
Pavilion and Science Museum
Pavilion and Science Museum
Richard was kind enough to book us all rooms at the five-star St. Regis hotel located on the riverfront in Astana. The hotel was truly luxurious, and at times, I found it hard to leave the comfort of my room to explore the city.
My Hotel-St Regis with a proud Portrait of a Kazakh Horse
Across the Steppe
To reach the Polygon, I hired a four-wheel drive vehicle, along with a driver and guide. From Astana, we drove all day across the flat plains, or steppe, to Semipalatinsk. The bleakness of the windswept, freezing steppe, which sometimes dipped to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, reminded me of traveling across western North Dakota or eastern Montana in winter.
No permits were required in advance to visit the Polygon—just a heads-up that we were coming. Given that we saw no officials anywhere in the Polygon, I doubt even that was necessary. However, certain core regions of the Polygon are off-limits due to high radiation levels. Supposedly, there are local officials and perhaps even drones patrolling these areas, but after witnessing locals fishing in the radioactive lake and mining trucks coming and going, I questioned whether anyone really cared where you went within the Polygon. At least, it seemed there was no one there to stop you.
Endless highway across the steppe
Monuments marking entrance to various villages in eastern kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s economy relies heavily on mining, oil, gas, and coal. It is common to see huge factories emitting tons of raw pollution into the air, even in remote areas. Entire villages of apartment buildings have been constructed in rural towns to support the labor force for these industries.
Typical factory in countryside
The stretches of highway in the steppe were long and grueling and occasionally we would stop at roadside mom and pop run cafes and have a bite to eat along with other travelers and truck drivers carrying their goods to Russia. Kazakhs aren’t used to seeing foreigners in this area and were curious but unable to say much to us given the language barrier.
Roadside Cafe
I can never resist capturing a photo of a good Soviet monument, especially a statue of Lenin. This town had a large collection of them situated within a park.
Me and Lenin
Soviet era statue
Semipalatinsk
We drove all the way to Semipalatinsk, the largest city in the region, which was once a Russian trading post in the wilderness along the only river that flows through this part of Kazakhstan. The majority of people who eventually settled in this area were prisoners or citizens deported as punishment for political reasons.
We spent the night in a small Soviet-era hotel overlooking a factory that doubled as a nightclub called the Mafia Club. During our stay, we explored some local eateries and visited a century-old abandoned brick building that once served as a school for girls, as well as monuments erected in honor of the civilians who suffered from the radiation fallout of the nuclear testing that affected the city and its surroundings.
Exploring an old ruined brick building
Factory/nightclub
Monument to victims of radiation
Monument to victims of radiation
Polygon
The next day, we drove about 100 miles into the vast expanse of the Polygon along flat dirt roads that seemed to lead us into virgin grasslands. However, the area was anything but untouched. The hidden specter of radiation was ever-present, with levels varying depending on the proximity to sites of nuclear bomb detonations.
The region consists of a maze of dirt roads dotted with small, impoverished-looking villages of wooden, decrepit cottages. Villagers raise horses and cows in these radioactive grasslands. In the Polygon, we also encountered large coal mining trucks hauling coal from an open-pit mine.
Road into Polygon
Village in Polygon
Grazing horses in radiactive grasslands
As we approached a lake formed by the detonation of a large nuclear bomb, the radiation levels skyrocketed. To protect ourselves, we donned suits and masks to keep the radioactive dust off. The area had a dystopian wasteland feel to it, yet there was a certain beauty in its quiet desolation. We were very careful and wary of getting radioactive dust on ourselves. Despite all the precautions we took, we saw some local villagers fishing in the lake, showing absolutely no concern for the radiation.
Frank in his suit
In our hazmat suits and masks to keep dust laden with radiation off of ourselves and from being inhaled
Lake formed by nuclear explosion
Me at Lake formed by nuclear explosion
Polygon
Near the nuclear testing grounds stood a giant concrete structure, possibly an antenna or an elevator shaft, used by Soviet military officials to help detonate the bombs. Most of the metal from this site has been claimed by scrap metal recyclers looking to cash in on the high prices of metal.
Concrete embedded antenna/elevator shaft used to detonate nukes
Concrete embedded antenna/elevator shaft used to detonate nukes
We also stopped at an underground concrete bunker where military officials detonated the nuclear bombs. While most of the tunnels have long since caved in, there was a vast underground room available for exploration. I read that when Kazakh and American officials first inspected the area in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, they discovered abandoned fission materials that had been looted from these bunkers.
Concrete bunker
Concrete bunker
Concrete bunker
Concrete bunker
Kurchatov
We drove to Kurchatov, a small town established for the nuclear scientists involved in the testing. The city features a mix of abandoned KGB buildings and modern apartment complexes where current researchers still conduct atomic studies. I could have spent days exploring this town; it was fascinating, and I loved that it felt smaller and more relaxed than Semipalatinsk.
Abandoned KGB Building
Abandoned KGB Building
Our hotel which was and still is used by the world’s top nuclear physicists
My hotel room, which was and still is used by the world’s top nuclear physicists
Frank at the restaraunt we had dinner at
Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short and forgo our visit to the abandoned Chagan Soviet air base due to an ice storm that hit the roads leading into Astana. Officials closed all the roads because of the risk. With more freezing rain forecasted for the next day, we needed to return in time for our flight. Instead, we decided to take the overnight sleeper train back to Astana, which turned out to be much more comfortable than driving. The train ride lasted eight hours and took us directly into Astana without any issues, arriving right on time. This left us with the entire day to casually explore the city.
My sleeper cabin which I shared with Frank and two kazakhs including one police woman with her uniform hanging upover her bed.
Night train
We managed to beat the ice storm and return to Astana, finding comfort in our hotel room at the Hilton as the snow fell in blizzard-like conditions. Later that night, our Turkish Airlines flight miraculously arrived and departed on time, taking us back to Istanbul and onward to home.