Bishkek
Bishkek (Бишкек, بىشكهك) (population in 2005 approx. 900,000), founded in 1878 and from 1926-1991 known as Frunze (Фрунзе), after the Bolshevik military leader Mikhail Frunze, is the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan). In Kyrgyz, a Bishkek is a churn used to make fermented mare's milk (kumis), the Kyrgyz national drink.
Bishkek is a city of wide boulevards and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous Soviet-style apartment blocks surrounding interior courtyards and, especially outside the city center, thousands of smaller, often privately built houses. It is laid out on a grid pattern, with most streets flanked on both sides by narrow irrigation channels that water the innumerable trees which provide shade in the hot summers and give a generally beautifying effect to the city's otherwise rather drab appearance.
Bishkek, at 42°52′N 74°34′E / 42.867°N 74.567°E, is situated at about 800 m altitude just off the northern fringe of the Ala-Too range, an extension of the Tien Shan, mountain range, which rises up to 4,800 m and provides a spectacular backdrop to the city. North of the city, a fertile and gently undulating steppe extends far north into neighboring Kazakhstan. The Chui river drains most of the area. Bishkek is connected to the Turkestan-Siberia Railway by a spur.
History
Originally a caravan rest stop (possibly founded by the Sogdians) on one of the branches of the Silk Road through the Tien Shan range, the location was fortified in 1825 by the Uzbek khan of Kokhand with a mud fort. In 1862, the fort was conquered and razed when Tsarist Russia annexed the area. The site became a Russian garrison and was redeveloped and named Pishpek from 1877 onward by the Russian government, which encouraged the settlement of Russian peasants by giving them fertile black soil farms to develop. In 1926, the city became the capital of the newly established Kirghiz ASSR and was renamed Frunze after Mikhail Frunze, Lenin's close associate who was born in Bishkek and played key roles during 1905 and 1917 revolutions and during the Russian civil war of the early 1920s.
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan achieved independence in 1991, and the city was renamed Bishkek. Today, it is a vibrant, rapidly modernizing city, with many restaurants and cafes and lots of second-hand European and Japanese cars and minibuses crowding its streets. During the Soviet era the city was home to a large number of industrial plants, but most have been shut down or operate today on a much reduced scale. Bishkek was also home to a major Soviet military pilot training school; one of its students, Hosni Mubarak, later became president of Egypt.
In 2002, the United States obtained the right to use the nearby Manas International Airport as an air base for its military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, naming its base Ganci Airbase. Shortly after the Air Force had used this name (to honor New York City Fire Department Chief Peter J. Ganci, Jr. who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attack) it was found that an AFI (Air Force Instruction) dictated that foreign air bases could not bear the name of any heroes from the US. Since then the air base has been officially called Manas air base (after a legendary Kyrgyz hero), yet local people and the media still tend to use the name Ganci. Russia subsequently established an air base of its own in nearby Kant.
Sights
Bishkek is widely considered one of the most beautiful and progressive cities in Central Asia. It is situated along one of the routes of the ancient Silk Road. Though the city itself is relatively young, the surrounding area has sites of interests dating from prehistory, the Greco-Buddhist period, the period of Nestorian influence, the era of the powerful khanates and throughout the Soviet period. Much of the city is given to public statuary, parks and broad, open space.
- The Ala-Too mountain range, 40 km away, provides a spectacular backdrop to the city; in it, the Ala Archa National Park is a site worth visiting
- State Historical Museum, located in the main city square
- State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of Kyrgyz traditional handicrafts
- Frunze House Museum
- Several statues of Vladimir Lenin remain, the largest being opposite the parliament building in a leafy park — having been moved there in 2003 from its original more conspicuous location on the main square of the city
- An equestrian statue of Mikhail Frunze still stands in a large park across from the train station
- The main government building, the White House, is a huge seven-story marble block and the former headquarters of the Communist Party of the Kirghiz SSR
- Ala-Too square, there's an Independce monument where you can watch the changing of the guards.
Commerce
Bishkek is a film industry hub, and has vast capacities for industry and mining, as well as tourism and recreation.
Night Life
Several major night clubs are operating in the city, the main ones being Apple, City, Heaven, Fire & Ice and Emporio. Average entrance fee is 300 soms for men and 200 soms for ladies.
Shopping
Plenty of shopping opportunities are available, varying from cheap bazaar-type of shopping to pricy malls. Dordoi market is considered to be the biggest in Central Asia and offers a great variety goods. For fresh groceries, visiting Osh bazaar is a must, alternatively there's a network of supermarkets called "Nardonyi" where groceries can be bought also. Some of the malls to consider are: TZUM, Dordoi Plaza and Beta Stores.
Sister Cities
Sister Cities of Bishkek include Colorado Springs, Colorado (1994).