Bishkek is a delightful, relaxing and unhurried city. With its tree-lined streets and plenty of greenery created a stark contrast to the austere Soviet-style buildings that dominate the main places of interest. Behind the city, the southern snow-capped mountainous range adds to Bishkek’s picturesque location and suggests endless outdoor adventure possibilities. All these are reminders to its people of their proud history including reminders of their struggles in the past.
Modern Bishkek was founded in 1878 on the site of a Russian garrison, and was later renamed Frunze, honouring the locally born Russian Bolshevik Leader, Mikhail Frunze who had seized much of today’s Uzbekistan back in the 1920s. After Kyrgyzstan gained independence in 1991 – the first Central Asian country to do so, the city’s name was changed to Bishkek. Nowadays, with a welcoming atmosphere, Bishkek has become a great city to ‘hang out’, to walk around and to enjoy the many leafy parks and cafes selling a wide range of coffees as well as the many friendly pubs offering locally produced draft beers.
My Bishkek Highlights
Checked out Ala-Too Square
Ambled around Osh Bazaar
Paid respects at Victory Square Monument
Browsed Frunze House-Museum
Learnt so much at the National History Museum
Wandered past Bishkek’s White House
Sought out Brutalist Architecture
Climbed Burana Tower
Other Places of Interest I Visited in Bishkek
Privileged to have been invited to stay in a Kyrgyz home
If I had more time I would have visited…
Accommodation in Bishkek
Eating in Bishkek
Onward Travel: flight to from Bishkek to Osh (Kyrgyzstan)
Bishkek’s main attractions are the beautiful parks and museums north of Chuy around Ala-Too Square. Plain old Soviet buildings are littered around the city, but there are also a few brutalist structures that warrant attention as well as a couple of elegant neoclassical exceptions. Wandering around the city is a delight as every turn of a corner is something of interest whether it’s a structure or an amazing out-of-place wall mural.
Checked out Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square is a very large public square located in front of the State History Museum and serves as a gathering place for various events and celebrations that are held throughout the year.
At the time of my visit, the square was being renovated, but I could easily imagine how beautiful it would be with the water fountains, flower beds and the Ala-Too mountain in the distance behind. In addition, the attractive square would also be an ideal place in the evenings where families and friends hang out, socialise and relax at the end of a long day.
The photogenic Manas Statue sits triumphantly atop the brown brick wall overlooking the square near to the National Flagpole where there would have been soldiers goose-stepping and changing guard. Hopefully after the renovations, all this will return.
Ambled around Osh Bazaar
To the West of the city is Bishkek’s largest market, Osh Bazaar. Similar to other Asian markets/bazaars it features a wide variety of food products, household goods, Soviet souvenirs and musical instruments. There is also an abundance of dried fruit, sweets, and nut stalls with particular interest in selling Kurut – a white, dry, salty cheese ball. All I can say is that it’s an acquired taste!
I must have spent a couple of hours walking from one building to the next watching the buyers and sellers go about their daily business. But what I found most intriguing was the countless number of cars used to sell goods from the boot of their cars.
Paid Respects at Victory Square Monument
Victory Square Monument was constructed in 1985 to commemorate 40 years since the end of World War II and to mark the Liberation of USSR during the Great Patriotic War celebrating victory over Nazi Germany. In the heart of the monument stands a statue of a woman waiting for her husband to return from war. Above her is a funeral wreath supported by three curved granite pillars which symbolise a yurt and an eternal flame which invokes reflection on the losses and sacrifices incurred during the war.
Browsed Frunze House Museum
Also on the far edge of Victory Square is the Mikhail Frunze House and Museum, the home of the Bolshevik Commander born in Bishkek who seized much of Uzbekistan in the 1920s. Inside the museum there was very little information in English about the reproductive thatched cottage – allegedly the birth place of Frunze, although there were a few original household items. I found the photographs depicting Bishkek and the Bolsheviks around the 1920s very interesting.
Learnt so much at the National History Museum
An incredible National History Museum has recently opened following a long period of renovation and is now dedicated itself to the preservation of the culture and history of Kyrgyzstan and its people. The journey starts from the prehistoric period to the country’s struggle for independence during the Soviet times, culminating to present times with displays showing people’s immense pride for their country and how their national identity is celebrated.
Over 3 floors of artefacts and exhibits, the country’s development is displayed with captions in English and other languages. Most fascinating was the fully decorated yurt illustrating the nomadic lifestyle and excavated Buddha images and artefacts. In addition, there were displays with an array of textiles: vibrant carpets, beautiful clothes and intricate embroidery, all of which was quite mesmerising in the skill and technique when producing such exquisite pieces.
Wandered past Bishkek’s White House
The modern seven storey high White House – Kyrgyzstan’s seat of government and Presidential office built in 1985, was where riots broke out in 2005 and 2010 and many government records were destroyed. The exterior is covered in marble with a large bed of flowers in the front of the building, representing the country’s ties with Russia.
Rumour has it that there is an underground complex under the Ala-Too Square (formerly the ‘Lenin Square’) connected to the White House via an underground series of tunnels.
Sought out Brutalist Architecture
As with all new Central Asian republics, one of my favourite things to do is walk around the city attempting to find architecture that identifies the nation and its history… and in Bishkek there is plenty of Brutalist architecture dating back from when Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union.
Places like the National Museum of Fine Arts, Ala-Too Theatre, the Wedding Palace, National Philharmonic Hall and the Father of the Nation Monument are some fine examples of structures producing highly expressive brutalist forms that seemed out of place from other surrounding architectures.
On the second of my two days it had become quite overcast, but that added to some of the structures plain block-like forms which heightened my imagination of what it must have been like to be living in the USSR prior to independence.
Climbed Burana Tower
The slightly leaning 24m-high historic building of Burana Tower is just the stump of what was once a huge brick minaret supposedly built in the 11th century. What is seen today is predominantly Soviet restoration, built in the 1950s.
The remnants of the tower are a significant reminder of the tis home in the ancient thriving city of Balasagun – an important trading post along the Silk Road. With a sturdy staircase inside, the climb to the top of the tower provided amazing mountainous landscape views.
Apart from the tower the site comprised of a small, but interesting museum and along the short footpaths there were many interesting gravestones adorned with intricate markings and some with full bodied sculpturing.
Other Places of Interest I Visited in Bishkek
On the far edge of Victory Square, looking like a 1950s UFO was the Kyrgyz Circus. Designed in 1976 this strange looking piece of architecture is currently closed for renovation. Around the back of the National History Museum is the Lenin Statue. This statue is significant because it’s the only one of him left in Central Asia after the new Republics gained independence from USSR and demolished all their monuments of the man.
East of Ala-Too, is the pleasant open-air sculpture garden of Oak Park behind the statue of Kurmanjan Datka (1811-1907) – a revered female tribal leader whose diplomatic skills secured peace among other tribes in South Kyrgyzstan. Nearby is the Nissa Art Salon, a former cathedral, now an art museum, that was worth a 10-minute wander inside. The Maldybaev Opera and Ballet Theatre, near Victory Square was a fine example of neoclassical architecture especially with beautiful decorative chandeliers inside. Just as beautiful were the gardens, sculptures and fountains around the Toktogul Satylganov Philharmonic Hall – all very impressive.
Privileged to have been invited to stay in a Kyrgyz home
I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to stay with a family for a few days in the beautiful town of Chym-Korgon, 90km East of Bishkek, once a large thriving industrial town. As time moved on and modern technologies took over, much of the manual labour required were no longer needed, resulting in subsequent generations moving to the bigger cities of Bishkek or Osh. However, much of infrastructure remains and the town continues to serve the region well, with crucial community facilities that only the locals would know of: certainly not a ‘passing-by’ backpacker.
After the visit to Burana Tower, my hosts took me 35km West of Chym-Korgon to the amazing Tsentr Otdykha ‘Gavayi’ resort. A place for friends and families to enjoy a great day out. It has an eclectic collection of odd things that appear from nowhere, such as sculptures related to Chinese astrology and fantastical metal creatures, along with a mini-zoo (with some very sad looking animals inside), a life size helicopter, and boats that paddle around the floating tables where people can eat in the middle of the lake. The restaurants along the promenades were fabulous and decorated beautifully.
Strange but entertaining metallic sculptures at Gavayi resort
The visit to Lake Issa-Kyl was a must and I was taken to the popular shoreline at Balykchy, which was packed with local families enjoying the refreshing waters and activities in a beautiful untouched beach setting. A welcome relief to the touristic areas with high rise hotels and vendors selling all sorts of overpriced souvenirs. After, we took a road trip heading west the near-dried up Orto Tokoy Reservoir and met on the way with some outstanding mountainous landscapes.
Another memorable place was at the beautiful gentle Chu River that borders the North between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with the extensive wondrous mountain range of Zailiysky Ala-Too behind, spanning as far as the eye could see.
Back in town, I visited a couple of small Mosques where the custodian had numerous roles within town, including the maintenance of his own farmland. After a short walk along the dead straight train tracks, I also learnt how my hosts harvest their crops, prepare for the return of their livestock during the winter season, as well work in various jobs around town – busy indeed. I even managed to visit the local (and only) school in town with the community at the heart of its curriculum.
In addition, it was humbling when we visited the cemetery where members of the host’s family were laid to rest. On the visit I was told of many poignant memories of life in town during the USSR days, and now after independence, where there is greater freedom of expression, some things are not that different – truly fascinating.
Moreover, within town I was privileged to visit a hospital caring and treating patients with mental health problems and meeting some incredible, inspirational carers who were not only there to provide a safe environment, but were also incredibly skilled in rehabilitating and enabling the patients to self-care for when they are re-integrated back into the community – sometimes working very long hours for very little extra pay.
These few days off the regular tourist trail and into the very heart beat of the country provided an immersive experience of sharing cultures, swapping lifetime stories and spending time learning the day to day functionalities of a small Central Asian town – an incredible fulfilling experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life, for which I truly thank my hosts.
If I had more time I would have visited;
Accommodation in Bishkek
Accommodation in Bishkek is largely centred around hostels and family run guesthouses. The hostels are great places to connect with other travellers, create tour groups and to get tips from staff and other guests for onward travel plans. I stayed in the extremely comfortable and clean Aiva Hostel where every amenity was in full working order in a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere – seriously 10/10!
Guesthouses are ideal if weary travellers have been on the road for a while and require their own ‘space’, but there are other options such are Airbnb and family-run BnB’s that seem to be an increasing trend in Bishkek. The collection of 2* and 3* hotels are a good choice but appear to be aimed for business clients who are on a budget but are also where great deals can be had. The few luxury hotels seem to be centred around the National State Museum.