Bishkek 4554 225990990 2008-07-16T10:23:39Z 81.86.72.99 /* Transportation */ changed a non-encyc. word {{redirect|Frunze|other meanings|Frunze (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox Settlement |official_name=Bishkek |native_name=Бишкек |image_shield = COA of Bishkek.PNG |image_skyline=Bischkek.jpg |imagesize=300px |image_caption=Bishkek cityscape |shield_size=100px |pushpin_map = Kyrgyzstan |pushpin_label_position =bottom |pushpin_mapsize = 300 |pushpin_map_caption =Location in Kyrgyzstan |subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]] |subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Kyrgyzstan|Province]] |subdivision_name =‎ [[Image:Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg|30px]] [[Kyrgyzstan]] |subdivision_name1 = |latd=42|latm=52|lats=29|latNS=N |longd=74|longm=36|longs=44|longEW=E |population_as_of=2005 est. |population_total=900,000 |established_title=Founded |established_date=1878 |leader_title=[[Mayor]] |leader_name=Daniyar Usenov }} '''Bishkek''' ([[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]]: Бишкек) is the capital and the largest city of [[Kyrgyzstan]]. Somewhat confusingly, Bishkek is also the administrative center of [[Chuy Province]] which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan. Founded in [[1878]] as the Russian fortress of '''Pishpek''' (Пишпек), between [[1926]] and [[1991]] it was known as '''Frunze''' (Фрунзе), after the [[Bolshevik]] military leader [[Mikhail Frunze]]. The name is thought to derive from a [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] word for a churn used to make fermented mare's milk ([[kumis]]), the Kyrgyz national drink. Bishkek, at {{coor dms|42|52|29|N|74|36|44|E|region:KG_type:city(900,000)}}, is situated at about 800&nbsp;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&nbsp;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. Bishkek is a city of wide boulevards and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous [[Khrushchyovka|Soviet-style]] apartment blocks surrounding interior courtyards and, especially outside the city center, thousands of smaller 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. ==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 [[Uzbekistan|Uzbek]] khan of [[Kokhand]] with a mud fort. In 1862, the fort was conquered and razed when [[Imperial Russia|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 Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Kirghiz ASSR]] and was renamed '''Frunze''' after [[Mikhail Frunze]], [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin's]] close associate who was born in Bishkek and played key roles during [[Russian Revolution of 1905|1905]] and [[Russian Revolution of 1917|1917 revolutions]] and during the [[Russian civil war]] of the early 1920s. [[Image:E7890-Kyrgyzstan-House-of-Government.JPG|thumb|left|The House of Government, Bishkek]] The early 1990's were tumultuous. In June 1990, a state of emergency was declared following severe riots in southern Kyrgzystan which threatened to spread to the capital. The city was renamed Bishkek in early 1991 and Kyrgyzstan achieved independence later that year during the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|breakup of the Soviet Union]]. 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. At the same time Bishkek still preserves the charm of a Soviet Central Asian city, with Soviet-period buildings and gardens lovingly maintained, instead of being torn down and replaced by newer structures. Bishkek is also the country's financial center, with all of the country's 21 commercial banks featuring offices in the city. 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. One of today's Bishkek's largest employment centers is [[Dordoy Bazaar]], which is one the major entrepots for Chinese goods imported into [[CIS]] countries. 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]]. [[Russia]] subsequently (2003) established an air base of its own ([[Kant (air base)|Kant Air Base]]) near [[Kant, Kyrgyzstan|Kant]] some 20 km east of Bishkek. It is based at a facility that used to be home to a major Soviet military pilot training school; one of its students, [[Hosni Mubarak]], later became president of [[Egypt]]. ==Transportation== ===Public transit=== [[Image:E8094-Bishkek-East-Bus-Station.jpg|thumb|A typical Bishkek passenger van passes by the East Bus Terminal]] There is public transportation available, including buses, trolley buses, and public vans (known as [[marshrutka]]s). Streetcars (trams) also run along selected routes. Taxi cabs can be found at every intersection. There is no subway in Bishkek. The city is considering designing and building a light rail system ([[:ru:Бишкекское лёгкое метро|Бишкекское лёгкое метро]]). ===Commuter and long-distance buses=== There are two main bus stations in Bishkek. The smaller old Eastern Bus Station is primarily the terminal for minibuses to various destinations within or just beyond the eastern suburbs, such as [[Kant]], [[Tokmok]], [[Kemin]], [[Issyk Ata]], or the [[Korday]] border crossing. Long-distance regular bus and minibus services to all parts of the country, as well as to [[Almaty]] (the largest city in neighboring [[Kazakhstan]]) and [[Kashgar]], China, run mostly from the newer grand Western Bus Station; only a smaller minority of them runs from the Eastern Station. The [[Dordoy Bazaar]] on the north-eastern outskirts of the city also contains makeshift terminals for frequent minibuses to suburban towns in all directions (from [[Sokuluk]] in the west to [[Tokmak]] in the east) and to some buses taking traders to Kazakhstan and Siberia. ===Train=== [[Image:E7912-Bishkek2-interior.jpg|thumb|The electronic board in the main hall of Bishkek-2, the main train station, shows Bishkek and Moscow time]] As of 2007, the Bishkek railway station sees only a few trains a day. It offers a popular three-day train service from Bishkek to Moscow. There are also long-distance trains that leave for Siberia ([[Novosibirsk]] and [[Novokuznetsk]]), via [[Almaty]], over the [[Turksib]] route, and to [[Yekaterinburg]] (Sverdlovsk) in the Urals, via [[Astana]]. These services are particularly slow, since the trains first have to go west for more than a hundred kilometers before they enter the main [[Turksib]] line and can continue to the east or north. ===Air=== The city is served by [[Manas International Airport]] located approximately 25 km (16 mi) northwest of the city centre. ==Sights== [[Image:Bishkek square.jpg|thumb|Ala Too Square, Bishkek's main square]] [[Image:Bishek_place_minor.jpg|thumb|right|A small square in Bishkek, near the main square]] ===Orientation=== Bishkek is an attractive city, especially in the summer when its thousands of trees provide color and shade. Though the city 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 Central Asian khanates, and the Soviet period. The central part of the city is mostly built on a rectangular grid plan. The city's main street is the east-west Chui Avenue (''Prospekt Chui''), named after the region's [[Chui River|main river]]. In the Soviet era, it was called Lenin Ave. Along it, or within a block or two from it, many of the most important government buildings, universities, the Academy of Sciences compound, etc., are to be found. The westernmost section of the avenue is known as [[Deng Xiaoping]] Ave. The main north-south axis is Yusup Abdrakhmanov Street, still (2007) commonly referred to by its old name, Sovietskaya St. Its northern and southern sections are called, respectively, Yelebesov St and Baityk Batyr St. Several major shopping centers are located along it, and in the north it provides access to [[Dordoy Bazaar]]. Erkindik ('freedom') Boulevard runs north-south, from the main railroad station (Bishkek II) south of Chui Ave to the museum quarter and sculpture park just north of chui Ave, and further north toward the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the past, it was called Dzerzhinsky Blvd. (named after [[Communism|Communist]] revolutionary, [[Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky|Felix Dzerzhinsky]]) and its northern continuation is still called Dzerzhinksy Street. An important east-west street is Jibek Jolu ('[[Silk Road]]'). It runs parallel to Chui Ave. about a mile north of it, and is part of the main east-west road of [[Chui Province]]. Both the Eastern and Western bus terminals are located along Jibek Jolu. ===City center=== [[Image:Bishkek historical museum.jpg|thumb|The National Historical Museum]] *State Historical Museum, located in Ala-Too Square, the main city square *State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of Kyrgyz traditional [[handicraft]]s *Frunze House Museum *Statue of [[Ivan Panfilov]] stands in the park near the [[White House (Bishkek)|White House]]. *An [[equestrian statue]] of [[Mikhail Frunze]] still stands in a large park (Boulevard Erkindik) across from the train station. *The train station itself was built in 1946 by German prisoners of war and has survived since then without further renovation or repairs; most of those who built it perished and were buried in unmarked pits near the station. *The main government building, the [[White House (Bishkek)|White House]], is a huge seven-story marble block and the former headquarters of the Communist Party of the [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic|Kirghiz SSR]] *At Ala-Too square, there is an Independence monument where the changing of the guards may be watched. *The Osh market, west of downtown, is a large picturesque produce market ===Outer neighborhoods=== *The [[Dordoy Bazaar|Dordoy Market]], just inside the bypass highway on the north-eastern edge of the city, is one of Asia's great retail and wholesale markets. ===Outside of the city=== *The Ala-Too mountain range, 40&nbsp;km away, provides a spectacular backdrop to the city; the [[Ala Archa National Park]] is only 30-45 min drive away ==Sister cities== [[Sister cities]] of Bishkek include *{{flagicon|United States}} [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]] (since 1994) *{{flagicon|United States}} [[Meriden, Connecticut]] (since 2005) *{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]] ==Government== Local government is administered by the Bishkek Mayor's Office. [[Askarbek Salymbekov]] was mayor until his resignation in August 2005, following which his deputy [[Arstanbek Nogoev]] took over the mayorship. Nogoev was in turn removed from his position in October 2007 through a decree of President [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]] and replaced by businessman and former first deputy prime minister [[Daniyar Usenov]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesca.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182916&Itemid=7|publisher=The Times of Central Asia|title=New mayor of Bishkek promises to solve capital’s problems|date=[[2007-10-17]]|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372503|journal=Eurasia Daily Monitor|publisher=The Jamestown Foundation|volume=4|issue=190|last=Marat|first=Erica|title=Upcoming referendum sinks Kyrgyzstan deeper into crisis|date=[[2007-10-15]]|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kyrgyz capital gets new mayor|url=http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-08-22.rferl.html#20|publisher=Radio Free Europe|date=[[2005-08-22]]|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Names of Asian cities in different languages]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commonscat|Bishkek}} *{{wikitravel|Bishkek}} {{Districts of Kyrgyzstan}} {{Asian capitals}} [[Category:Bishkek]] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Kyrgyzstan]] [[am:ቢሽኬክ]] [[ar:بشكيك]] [[az:Bişkek]] [[zh-min-nan:Bishkek]] [[bg:Бишкек]] [[ca:Bixkek]] [[cv:Бишкек]] [[cs:Biškek]] [[da:Bisjkek]] [[de:Bischkek]] [[dsb:Biškek]] [[et:Biškek]] [[myv:Бишкек ош]] [[es:Biskek]] [[eo:Biŝkeko]] [[fa:بیشکک]] [[fr:Bichkek]] [[gd:Bishkek]] [[ko:비슈케크]] [[hy:Բիշկեկ]] [[hsb:Biškek]] [[hr:Biškek]] [[io:Bishkek]] [[id:Bishkek]] [[is:Bishkek]] [[it:Biškek]] [[he:בישקק]] [[ka:ბიშკეკი]] [[ky:Бишкек шаары]] [[sw:Bishkek]] [[ht:Bichkek]] [[lt:Biškekas]] [[hu:Biskek]] [[mk:Бишкек]] [[nl:Bisjkek]] [[ja:ビシュケク]] [[no:Bisjkek]] [[nov:Bishkek]] [[pms:Bishkek]] [[pl:Biszkek]] [[pt:Bisqueque]] [[crh:Bişkek]] [[ro:Bişkek]] [[ru:Бишкек]] [[simple:Bishkek]] [[sk:Biškek]] [[sr:Бишкек]] [[fi:Biškek]] [[sv:Bisjkek]] [[tl:Bishkek]] [[vi:Bishkek]] [[tg:Бишкек]] [[tr:Bişkek]] [[uk:Бішкек]] [[yi:בישקעק]] [[zh:比什凯克]]