The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, also referred to as The Pyramid for its geometrical shape, is a unique building that has been conceived and designed by architect Sir Norman Foster (United Kingdom). This diversity is unified within the pure form of a pyramid, 62 meters high with a 62 x 62-meter base.
It contains accommodations for different religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and other faiths. It also houses Museum of national culture, National opera and ballet theatre, the University of Civilizations, exposition and concert halls, a library, as well as a research centre of world religions and offices of spiritual denominations.
The building is conceived as a global center for religious understanding, the renunciation of violence and the promotion of faith and human equality. The Palace hosted II Congress of World and Traditional religions in 2006 and Ministerial Conference “Common World: Progress through Diversity” in 2008.
The Pyramid of Peace expresses the spirit of Kazakhstan, where cultures, traditions and representatives of various nationalities coexist in piece, harmony and accord.
“The four sides of our Palace are oriented to the four sides of the world. In some sense this construction embodies independent Kazakhstan that friendly embraces all people of all nations and practicing different religions”, - Nursultan Nazarbayev describes the building.
Bathed in the golden and pale blue glow of the glass (colors of National flag of Kazakhstan), delegates from the world’s main religions and faiths are meeting every three years in a circular chamber - based on the United Nations Security Council meeting room in New York. On exiting a lift at level six, ramps ascend through a hanging garden and wind towards a circular platform with a wide oculus at its centre. Here, Brian Clarke’s stained glass windows can be admired (a flock of doves are pictured ascending towards the sun that is the central emblem of Kazakhstan’s flag).
The project was a challenge in both space and time – first because it is being integrated into a large pyramid that contains cultural and educational institututions, and second because it was designed and built more quickly than any opera house in the past century. In Europe the design and construction of an opera house usually takes 5 – 10 years. This project has taken less than 2 years. It has been achieved by all parties working toward a common goal, inspired by peace. The pyramid was completed in 2006 and became a symbol of Kazakhstan's rise from a former Soviet backwater to a leading regional economy.
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