Astana , the capital of Kazakhstan, was founded in 1824 as Akmolinsk (from Kazakh aqmola , "white tomb"), as a settlement established to secure the trade routes between Russia and Central Asia along the Nura River. After a catastrophic flood, the settlement was moved in 1830 to a site thirty kilometres to the north. During the nineteenth century, the fortified town developed into a significant centre of commerce and market fairs, positioned at the convergence of trade routes connecting Russia with Central Asia, India, and China. The Petropavlovsk-Karaganda railroad reached Akmolinsk