Semey is one of the horrific examples of a nuclear-ravaged town. This is because Semey had been notorious during the Soviet Union period as the location of the Semipalatinsk (Russian for seven-chambered city) Test Site. Nestled in the grassy steppes of Northern Kazakhstan, the area was used by the Soviet military for test explosions of an estimated 460 nuclear bombs between 1949 and 1989, until it was shut down in 1999 following a staggering amount of protests against the massive radioactive fallout in the environment.
In spite of such afflictions under Soviet communism, Semey stands as a place of hope, and has the reputation of being one of the most fascinating and striking tourist destinations in the country. Established by the Russians in 1718 primarily as a military fortress, it served as an important bridge between Siberia and Central Asia with the construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway. Though it is not really known for its flora and fauna, the town, however, boasts of the vast Semey Ormany State Forest Natural Reserve - which is home to a diverse collection of rare and endangered wildlife such as Corsac foxes, steppe harriers, golden eagles, Eurasian black grouses and steppe polecats.
Perhaps, Semey is most famous and remembered for its very rich culture and history. It takes pride in being the hometown of the country's revered father of modern poetry, Abay Ibrahim Qunanbayuli. Taking up schooling in the then-Semipalatinsk, he became a reformer of European cultures using liberal Islam. Semey also houses numerous museums such as the Abai and the Dostoevsky Museums that document its heritage and influences. What stands out, however, is the town's anatomical museum - a memorial dedicated to the victims of its nuclear past. It displays the heartbreaking horrors of radiation with its compiled examples of terrible genetic mutations that affected the surrounding populace, especially the unborn children. That is in fact a gruesome reminder of the cruel side of science.