Merchant row

The rise of Akmolinsk was determined not only by administrative but also by commercial considerations. Located at the trade caravan route which connected Russia with Central Asia, it has become an important transit point.

        Next to «Green rows» at the square (present Congress Hall), the famous throughout Saryarka Konstantinovskaja fair took place. This place has always been lively and noisy; farmers and handicraftsmen from neighbouring villages came there to merchandise.

        The town's development in many respects depended on two annual fairs founded in 1852 - Konstantinovskaya fair (May 21 - June 10) and Dmitrievskaya fair (October 26 - November 10). If in the beginning, the local annual turnover made up approximately 10 thousand rubles, then by 1865 it exceeded one and a half million in currency value of the time.

        Products delivery to the fair in 1902 was evaluated at 2,301,560 rubles. The main articles of trade were cattle, cattle-breeding stuff, bread, imported industrial goods, Bukharan and Tashkent silks, carpets, yuft, sweets, desiccated fruit, etc.