Kok-Tobe TV tower against the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains at sunset
Almaty · Kok-Tobe hill

Kok-Tobe
Tower

A steel needle above Almaty, visible from anywhere in the city. It took eight years to build and still keeps TV and radio on the air.

371.5 mheight
1,452 mabove sea level
Magnitude 10earthquake rated

Why it was built

To carry the signal over the city

Kok-Tobe tower above the night fog of Almaty
The tower rises above smog and fog almost every day
The old mast was not enoughBefore the tower, Almaty was served by a 180-metre TV mast at today's Zheltoksan and Satpayev streets. The city kept growing and buildings kept getting taller.
A mountain for a pedestalKok-Tobe lifts the antennas above every building. From here the signal spreads across the city and its outskirts unobstructed.
Still on air todayThe Kok-Tobe broadcasting station transmits TV and radio. In 2020 Almaty switched to digital terrestrial TV from right here.

From the ground up

371.5 metres, level by level

0m

Foundation and technical building

A reinforced concrete base is joined with a three-storey underground section. At the foot stands a two-storey building with broadcasting equipment. Its wall carries a 20 by 8 metre mosaic honouring the Soyuz T-12 flight; the artists are unknown.

18,5m

Shaft width at ground level

The shaft is a steel sixteen-sided column clad in profiled aluminium. It narrows in steps: 18.5 metres at the base, then 13 and 9 metres.

146m

Lower level

The ring level was meant to be an observation deck with a panoramic restaurant. The restaurant was dropped because it did not meet building codes.

252m

Upper level

A two-storey ring 106 metres above the lower one. Neither deck was ever opened to visitors: the tower remains a restricted site.

371,5m

Antenna mast

The last 114 metres are the antenna mast. The tip is 3.5 metres higher than the Berlin TV Tower, and with the mountain it reaches 1,452 metres above sea level.

Engineering

The first tower of its kind in the mountains

It was the first structure of this scale in the USSR built in mountains with strong winds and high seismic activity. So the tower was made of steel and taught to damp its own sway.

10earthquake magnitude it was designed for
4 × 10 tdynamic dampers against wind and tremors
7,000 tweight of the whole structure
8 mheight of each welded panel the shaft was built from

The shaft was assembled from welded steel panels, and the construction crane climbed together with the growing tower. Inside, two lifts carry up to 1,000 kg each.

According to Aldar Tungushbayev, who headed the republic's radio and TV centre, the tower was raised by a crew of 40 builders working 10–12 hours a day.

In August 2024 the tower got new lighting: 185 floodlights and LED lines on 10 levels.

Kok-Tobe tower drawing with level marks

Who created it

Architects and engineers

Architect
N. G. TerzievAuthor of the tower's architectural design
Architect
A. N. SavchenkoCo-author of the architectural design
Structural engineer
B. V. OstroumovHead of high-rise structures at the Melnikov TsNIIPSK institute. In 1978, with E. P. Morozov, he described the tower's structure in the international IABSE journal
Structural engineer
N. K. AkimovAuthor of the structural design

The project involved the Melnikov TsNIIPSK institute, Moscow's Fundamentproekt institute and the Kazakh branch of TsNIIproektstalkonstruktsiya. It was built by the Kazmontazhstroydetal and Kazstalmontazh trusts for the Kazakh SSR Ministry of Installation Works. Construction took place while Dinmukhamed Kunayev led the republic.

Timeline

From a design contest to digital TV

  1. 1973
    Design contestA contest is announced for Almaty's new TV tower.
  2. 1975
    Construction beginsThe foundation is laid on the slope of Kok-Tobe hill.
  3. 1978
    Shown to the worldOstroumov and Morozov publish the tower's design in IABSE Structures.
  4. 1983
    Tower completedThe main construction phase is finished.
  5. 1 June 1984
    OpeningThe tower goes on air. At the time it is the world's 4th tallest TV tower. The same day it becomes a local landmark of urban planning and architecture.
  6. 2020
    Digital TVThe complex becomes the hub of Almaty's switch to digital terrestrial broadcasting.
  7. 2024
    New light185 floodlights and an LED media facade turn the tower into the city's night landmark.

You might not know

Five facts about the tower

Close-up of the Kok-Tobe tower levels
The observation decks never openedThere are public levels at 146 and 252 metres, but the tower has always remained a restricted site.
The restaurant that never wasA panoramic restaurant was planned on the lower level. The idea was dropped because it did not meet building codes.
Taller than BerlinKok-Tobe is 3.5 metres taller than the famous Berlin TV Tower.
4th in the worldIn 1984 only three TV towers in the world were taller.
A space mosaicThe technical building carries a 20 by 8 metre mosaic honouring Soyuz T-12. Its artist is unknown.

The tower at your home

Kok-Tobe figurine by REVER

Kok-Tobe tower figurine on a desk by a window overlooking Almaty at dusk Kok-Tobe tower figurine on a stone stand Kok-Tobe tower figurine

A miniature of the tower with its levels, mast and red antenna rings. A gift for someone who loves Almaty, is leaving it or is visiting for the first time.

  • Height32 cm
  • Base10 cm
  • Weight100 g
  • Materialplastic
9 900 ₸18 900 ₸−48%
Buy the figurineKok-Tobe candles