Difference between revisions of "Bishkek" - New World Encyclopedia
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Though the city is relatively young, the surrounding area has sites of interest dating from prehistory, the [[Greco-Buddhist]] period, the period of [[Nestorian]] influence, the era of the Central Asian khanates, and the Soviet period. | Though the city is relatively young, the surrounding area has sites of interest 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 | + | 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 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 | + | 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 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, | + | 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. |
| − | 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. | + | 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. Places of interest include: |
| − | *State Historical Museum, located in Ala-Too Square, the main city square | + | *State Historical Museum, located in Ala-Too Square, the main city square. |
| − | *State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of Kyrgyz traditional [[handicraft]]s | + | *State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of Kyrgyz traditional [[handicraft]]s. |
| − | *Frunze House Museum | + | *Frunze House Museum. |
| − | |||
*An [[equestrian statue]] of [[Mikhail Frunze]] still stands in a large park (Boulevard Erkindik) across from the train station. | *An [[equestrian statue]] of [[Mikhail Frunze]] still stands in a large park (Boulevard Erkindik) across from the train station. | ||
| − | *The train station | + | *The train station, which was built in 1946 by German prisoners of war. 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 | + | *The main government building, the [[White House (Bishkek)|White House]], is a 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. | *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 | *The Osh market, west of downtown, is a large picturesque produce market | ||
| − | *The Ala-Too mountain range, | + | *The Ala-Too mountain range, 25 miles (40km) away, provides a spectacular backdrop to the city; the [[Ala Archa National Park]] is only 30-45 minutes' drive away. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 03:54, 3 August 2008
| Bishkek Бишкек |
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  Bishkek |
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| Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:42|52|29|N|74|36|44|E|type:city | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| name= }} | |||
| Country |  Kyrgyzstan
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| Province | |||
| Founded | 1878 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Daniyar Usenov | ||
| Population (2005 est.) | |||
| - Total | 900,000 | ||
Bishkek (Russian and Kyrgyz: Бишкек) is the capital and the largest city 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.
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 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.
Geography
The name is thought to derive from a Kyrgyz word for a churn used to make fermented mare's milk (kumis), the Kyrgyz national drink.
Bishkek is situated at about 2624 feet (800 meters) altitude just off the northern fringe of the Ala-Too range, an extension of the Tien Shan mountain range, which rises up to 15,748 feet (4800 meters) 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.
Temperatures in Bishkek range from -8.3F (-22.4°C) in January to 68°F (20.1°C) in July. Rainfall varies from one inch (24mm) to 6.8 inches (174mm) a month.
Bishkek is located the Alaarcha and Alamedin rivers and the (Great) Chuysky Canal.
Bishkek in 2008 was 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 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.
History
Stone implements found in the Tian Shan mountains indicate the presence of human society in what is now Kyrgyzstan from 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. The first written records of a civilization in the area appear in Chinese chronicles beginning about 2000 B.C.E. Kyrgyz history dates back to 201 B.C.E.
The area that became Bishkek was a caravan rest stop, possibly founded by the Sogdians, who were traveling merchants from the city of Samarkand from the second century B.C.E. until the 10th century C.E., 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 in 1885 and played key roles during 1905 and 1917 revolutions, and during the Russian civil war of the early 1920s.
Heavy industries were evacuated from western Russia to Bishkek and other areas during World War II.
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 break-up of the Soviet Union.
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) near Kant some 12 miles (20km) 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.
Government
The politics of Kyrgyzstan take place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state and the prime minister is head of government, and of a multi-party system that is in development. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Bishkek is one of the seven provinces, or oblast (plural oblasttar), administered by appointed governors, that Kyrgyzstan is divided into. Somewhat confusingly, Bishkek is both capital of Kyrgyzstan, and the administrative center of the Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province.
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.
Economy
Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity.
Before 1941, Bishkek's economic activity focussed on food processing and other light industries using local raw materials. After heavy industries were evacuated from western Russia during World War II, Bishkek became the location of machine-building and metalworking industries. However, most have been shut down or operate today on a much reduced scale.
Bishkek is the country's financial center, with all of the country's 21 commercial banks featuring offices in the city. One of today's Bishkek's largest employment centers is Dordoy Bazaar, one of Asia's great retail and wholesale markets, is one the major entrepots for Chinese goods imported into CIS countries.
Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are regarded as keys to future growth.
Public transport includes buses, trolley buses, and public vans (known as marshrutkas). Streetcars (trams) run along selected routes. Taxi cabs can be found at every intersection. There is no subway.
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.
The city is served by Manas International Airport located approximately 16 miles (25km) northwest of the city centre.
Demographics
The population was 900,000 in 2005. The Kyrgyz, a Turkic peoples, comprise 69.5 percent of Kyrgyzstan's population. Other ethnic groups include Russians (9.0 percent) concentrated in the north and Uzbeks (14.5 percent) living in the south. Small but noticeable minorities include Tatars (1.9 percent), Uyghurs (1.1 percent), Kazakhs (0.7 percent) and Ukrainians (0.5 percent).
Russian is mother tongue to the majority of Bishkek dwellers, and most business and political affairs are carried out in this, which is an official language. The Kyrgyz language, a member of the Turkic group of languages, became the other official language in 1991.
Kyrgyzstan is a secular state. During Soviet times, atheism was encouraged. About 76.1 percent of the population are mostly Sunni Muslims. The main Christian churches are Russian Orthodox and Ukrainian Orthodox. A small minority of Germans are Protestant Christians, mostly Lutherans or Baptists.
The 33 tertiary institutes include the Kyrgyz State National University, the country’s largest university, the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, the American University of Central Asia, and the Bishkek Humanities University.
Of interest
Though the city is relatively young, the surrounding area has sites of interest 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 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 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 Communist revolutionary, 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. Places of interest include:
- State Historical Museum, located in Ala-Too Square, the main city square.
- State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of Kyrgyz traditional handicrafts.
- Frunze House Museum.
- An equestrian statue of Mikhail Frunze still stands in a large park (Boulevard Erkindik) across from the train station.
- The train station, which was built in 1946 by German prisoners of war. Most of those who built it perished and were buried in unmarked pits near the station.
- The main government building, the White House, is a seven-story marble block and the former headquarters of the Communist Party of the 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
- The Ala-Too mountain range, 25 miles (40km) away, provides a spectacular backdrop to the city; the Ala Archa National Park is only 30-45 minutes' drive away.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Akaev, Askar Akaevich, and Askar Akaevich Akaev. 2001. Kyrgyzstan: an economy in transition. [Canberra]: Asia Pacific Press at the Australian National University. ISBN 9780731536573
- Kadyrov, V. 2005. Kyrgyzstan: Traditions of Nomads. Bishkek: Rarity Ltd. ISBN 9967424427
External links
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Bishkek Retrieved August 3, 2008.
- World Fact Book Kyrgyzstan Retrieved August 3, 2008.
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