By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - The first Kazakh International Festival of Military Bands opened on Friday in the country's capital Astana.
Some 500 musicians from seven countries played at the festival's opening ceremony, which is part of celebrations devoted to the 25th anniversary of naming Astana the capital of Kazakhstan.
Bands from Azerbaijan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Türkiye and Uzbekistan performed Kazakh folk tunes and world-famous compositions.
In 1997, the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev moved the capital from Alma-Ata to Akmola, which was renamed Astana in 1998.
The Day of the Capital -- July 6 -- is celebrated in Kazakhstan as a public holiday.