KAZAKHSTAN
Temirtau: Kazakhstan’s rust belt city forged in iron and ash
A stark Soviet industrial city shaped by steel, pollution and uncertainty in the heart of Kazakhstan
While western and southern parts of Central Asia are better known for Silk Road cities and ancient history, the north and east of Kazakhstan tell a very different story. Here, the legacy is less about caravans and trade and more about what could almost be described as an “iron road” shaped by Soviet heavy industry. Karaganda, where Temirtau is located, accounts for nearly half of Kazakhstan’s coal production, were built around mining, steel and industrial output. Located around 40 minutes from Karaganda city, Temirtau sits at the centre of this world. Meaning “Iron Mountain” in Kazakh, the city remains deeply tied to steel production and the fortunes of a vast industrial complex that continues to dominate both the skyline and daily life. Curious to experience this harsher side of Kazakhstan’s past, present and perhaps future, I visited on a day trip in 2024.
Temirtau at a glance
- Major Soviet-era steel city in central Kazakhstan
- Home to one of Central Asia’s largest steel plants
- Around 40 minutes by bus from Karaganda
- Known for heavy industry, pollution and “black snow” incidents
- A striking destination for Soviet industrial or dark tourism
A day trip into Kazakhstan’s rust belt
My day trip to Temirtau started after I arrived at Karaganda station at 5 a.m., having spent a sleepless night on the train from Almaty. Instead of waiting for my hotel check-in, I decided to take advantage of the morning and head to Temirtau, a town around 40 minutes away. Luckily, Karaganda’s bus network connects to the city, and I was able to use my stored-value ONAY card from Almaty. At around 20 US cents, the fare is one of the cheapest rides you are likely to find.
I travelled to the north and east of Kazakhstan to get a flavour of what life might have been like during the Soviet era. These regions, where Russian is often more commonly spoken than Kazakh, were once industrial powerhouses of the Soviet economy. Temirtau, in particular, had a reputation as the quintessential “rust belt” town, a term more familiar in the United States, where it describes regions shaped by industrial decline and where presidential elections are often won and lost.
After dropping my bag off at the left luggage counter at Karaganda station, I made my way to the nearby bus station—or, more accurately, a modest shack—and eventually boarded the bus to Temirtau.
The steel city that forged Temirtau
Temirtau, which means “Iron Mountain” in Kazakh, is aptly named for a town deeply connected to steel and industry. Established in 1905, its importance surged due to its location in the resource-rich Karaganda region. It became a key centre for steel production, with construction of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant beginning during the Second World War. The workforce included forced labourers from the nearby Karlag camp, highlighting some of the more troubling aspects of the town’s past.
The plant’s first blast furnace began producing pig iron in 1960, a significant milestone in Temirtau’s industrial journey. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the plant was privatised in 1995 and later acquired by Mittal Steel in 2004, which later became ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel producers. Renamed ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the facility [map] expanded to include eight coal mines, cementing its role as a vital part of Kazakhstan’s heavy industry.
Pollution and controversy
I spent a few hours walking around Temirtau in the soaring heat, an effort that later took its toll during my stay in Karaganda. What made it worse was the acrid smell, almost certainly pollution drifting from the steelworks. Thick smoke hanging in the distance did little to challenge that impression.
The town, with a population of around 177,000 according to 2023 statistics, accounts for roughly 0.9% of Kazakhstan’s population. Yet government data shows Temirtau emitted 223,000 tonnes of pollutants from static sources in 2023, an astonishing 10% of the country’s total.
Temirtau’s industrial legacy is not without controversy. In 1959, violent riots broke out, and in 1992, the plant’s general director was assassinated on-site. Worker safety and environmental concerns have continued for decades, with one of the most notorious incidents occurring in January 2018, when “black snow” covered the town, serving as a stark reminder of local pollution levels.
Following repeated safety concerns and several deadly mining accidents, ArcelorMittal sold its Kazakhstan operations in 2023. The Temirtau steelworks was subsequently rebranded as Qarmet, with the government and new investors pledging around USD1 billion to modernise the aging industrial complex.
Walking through Temirtau today
The city itself has a decayed feel, with many visible signs of neglect. While I felt safe during the day, I would not have been eager to linger after dark. Scattered throughout the town are statues commemorating steelworkers, emblematic of pride in Temirtau’s industrial past. Like many former Soviet industrial centres, the city exudes a bittersweet mix of reverence for its history and uncertainty about its future.
Few cities are as dominated by a single entity as Temirtau is by its steelworks. The smell hits you almost immediately, while the yellow-brown haze hanging over parts of the skyline is a constant reminder of the plant’s presence. Approaching the steelworks, I could not shake the feeling of drawing closer to Mordor, the dark, fiery domain of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. The city even has a three-star Hotel Steel, which appears to cater largely to business visitors connected to the steelworks.
The surprising calm of Samarkand Reservoir
Surprisingly, by the bus terminus, I stumbled upon the large and unexpectedly serene Samarkand Reservoir, teeming with birdlife and offering a rare bright spot in an otherwise harsh landscape. Created in the 1930s to support the development of the nearby Karaganda coal region, the reservoir today is also known as a small kitesurfing spot thanks to its strong steppe winds and flat waters. Yet even here, the looming presence of the steelworks was impossible to ignore, a constant reminder of the town’s defining feature.
Can Temirtau survive beyond steel and Nazarbayev’s legacy?
Yet, for all its pollution, the steel plant remains the lifeblood of Temirtau. It is difficult to imagine the city surviving as a viable population centre without it. Temirtau’s identity, economy and very reason for being remain deeply tied to steelmaking. Like many single-industry cities, it is vulnerable to the shifting tides of global demand, trade disputes and industrial decline.
There have, however, been efforts to strengthen the city’s industrial future. Qarmet announced plans in 2025 for a new USD700 million casting and rolling complex in Temirtau, expected to become a major step in modernising Kazakhstan’s metallurgical sector and the first facility of its kind in Central Asia. The development forms part of wider ambitions to build a steel-based industrial cluster around the city.
One more visible sign of change is the planned introduction of a tram system, included as part of agreements linked to the steelworks buyout. Although not operational during my visit in 2024, the system is expected to begin running in 2025 and would offer a welcome improvement over the city’s aging buses, which currently dominate the streets.
Temirtau also holds a notable place in Kazakhstan’s political history as the starting point of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s career. The country’s first president worked at the steelworks in 1958, and in 1962 the plant’s Komsomol organisation elected him as a delegate to the 10th Congress of the Komsomol of Kazakhstan, an important early step in his long political rise. References to his time in the city remain, including a sparse and somewhat uninspiring museum. Yet since Nazarbayev stepped down in 2019, Kazakhstan has increasingly sought to move forward and define a post-Nazarbayev era.
Whether these efforts can arrest the slow decay that seems to hang over Temirtau remains uncertain. The city’s economy is still very much a one-trick pony, heavily reliant on steel and vulnerable to the shifting tides of global markets. While some former industrial centres have successfully reinvented themselves, Temirtau still feels tied to the fortunes of its aging steelworks. For the city not just to survive but thrive, it may eventually need another story to tell.
Tonys' takeaway
Temirtau will not be for most visitors to Kazakhstan. In many ways, it is the opposite of the polished, Instagrammable Silk Road image many associate with Central Asia. Yet for those curious about the Soviet industrial legacy, few places feel quite so raw or revealing. There is something strangely compelling about a city so completely shaped by one industry, for better or worse, even if at times it feels as though the steelworks are slowly consuming it.
I came away fascinated, slightly exhausted after a hot day of walking, and smelling faintly of industry.
