View source for Bishkek

{{short description|Capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Bishkek
| native_name        = Бишкек
| native_name_lang   = ky
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| translit_lang1     = [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image | border = infobox | | perrow = 1/2/2/ | total_width = 300 | align = center
| image1 = Bishkek_City%27s_business_center.jpg
| caption1 = Bishkek's skyline and the [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range]]
| image2 = City_Hall,_Bishkek.jpg
| caption2 = [[Mayor of Bishkek|Bishkek City Hall]]
| image3 = Bishkek_Central_Mosque_02.jpg
| caption3 = [[Bishkek Central Mosque]]
| image4 = Bishkek,_Kyrgyzstan_(44662092801).jpg
| caption4 = [[Victory Square, Bishkek|Victory Square]]
| image5 = E7903-Bishkek-Ala-Too-Square.jpg
| caption5 = [[Ala-Too Square]]

 }}
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = '''Clockwise from top''': view from Bishkek south towards the [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range]]; [[Bishkek Central Mosque]]; Residential Area of the City; [[Victory Square, Bishkek|Victory Square]] and [[Mayor of Bishkek|Bishkek City Hall]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Bishkek.svg
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Bishkek Kyrgyzstan.svg
| pushpin_map        = Kyrgyzstan#Asia
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize    = 250
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Kyrgyzstan
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|52|29|N|74|36|44|E|region:KG|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Kyrgyzstan|City]]
| subdivision_name1  = Bishkek<ref>[http://e-bishkek.kg/?q=node/13 Law on the Status of Bishkek] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721201655/http://e-bishkek.kg/?q=node%2F13 |date=21 July 2011 }}, 16 April 1994, article 2 {{in lang|ru}}. Retrieved on 3 August 2009</ref>
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1825
| parts_type         = [[Districts of Kyrgyzstan|District]]<ref name=class>{{cite web|url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/files/21f93e4d-9418-433e-aed9-ecb28d70ef5a.doc|title=Classification system of territorial units of the Kyrgyz Republic|language=ky|date=May 2021|publisher=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic|pages=81}}</ref>
| parts_style        = list
| parts              = Districts
| p1                 = [[Birinchi May District, Bishkek|Birinchi May]]
| p2                 = [[Lenin District, Bishkek|Lenin]]
| p3                 = [[Oktyabr District, Bishkek|Oktyabr]]
| p4                 = [[Sverdlov District, Bishkek|Sverdlov]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Bishkek|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Aibek Junushaliev
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="stat09">{{cite Kyrgyzstan census 2009|Bishkek|13, 15}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 386.0
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 800
| elevation_ft       = 
| population_total   = {{Formatnum:1321900}}
| population_as_of   = 2025
| population_footnotes = <ref name="автоссылка1">{{cite web|url=https://stat.gov.kg/ru/statistics/download/operational/769/|title=Population of Kyrgyz Republic 1 Jan. 2025 year|publisher=National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic|access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref><ref>[https://www.stat.gov.kg/ru/statistics/download/operational/769/ Permanent population of the Kyrgyz Republic as of January 1, 2023]</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_demonym = {{native name|ky|бишкектик, bishkektik}} {{native name|ru|бишкекчанин (male), бишкекчанка (female), bishkekchanin (male), bishkekchanka (female)}}
| timezone           = [[Kyrgyzstan Time|KGT]]
| utc_offset         = +06:00
| postal_code_type   = Postal code
| postal_code        = 720000–720085
| area_code          = (+996) 312
| area_code_type     = 
| registration_plate = B, E, 01
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.739<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database |publisher=Global Data Lab |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/KGZ/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019 |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en}}</ref><br />{{color|#0c0|high}} · [[List of regions of Kyrgyzstan by Human Development Index|1st]]
| website            = {{URL|http://meria.kg}} {{in lang|ky|ru|en}}
| flag_size          = 120px
| shield_size        = 75px
| flag_link          = Flag of Bishkek
| shield_link        = Coat of Arms
| footnotes          = 
| translit_lang1_type1 = [[ISO 9]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = Biškek
| translit_lang1_type2 = [[BGN/PCGN romanization|BGN/PCGN]]
| translit_lang1_info2 = Bishkek
| translit_lang1_type3 = [[ALA-LC Romanization|ALA-LC]]
| translit_lang1_info3 = Bishkek
| official_name      = 
}}

'''Bishkek''',{{efn|{{bulletedlist|{{langx|ky|Бишкек|Bishkek|engvar=gb}}, {{IPA|ky|b̥ɪɕkʰékʰ|pron}}|{{langx|ru|Бишкек|Biškek}}, {{IPA|ru|bʲɪʂˈkʲek|pron}}}}}} formerly known as '''Pishpek''' (until 1926),{{efn|[[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] and {{langx|ru|Пишпек}}}} and then '''Frunze''' (1926–1991),{{efn|[[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] and {{langx|ru|Фрунзе}}}} is the [[Capital city|capital]] and largest urban city of [[Kyrgyzstan]]. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the [[Chüy Region]].{{efn|The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of the region but rather a region-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.}} Bishkek is situated near the [[Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border|border with Kazakhstan]] and has a population of around 1,200,000 people, as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Kyrgyzstan| url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/a4e6a7dc-4a37-4448-807f-2d0a67a17df8.pdf |website=улуттук статистика комитети}}</ref>

The [[Khanate of Kokand]] established the fortress of Pishpek in 1825 to control local caravan routes and to collect [[tribute]] from [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] tribes. On 4 September 1860, with the approval of the Kyrgyz, Russian forces led by Colonel Apollon Zimmermann destroyed the fortress. In the present day, the fortress ruins can be found just north of Jibek Jolu Street, near the new main mosque.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishkek |url=https://trvlland.com/blog-kyrgyzstan/bishkek-the-capital-of-kyrgyzstan/ |website=Travel Land}}</ref> A Russian settlement was established in 1868 on the site of the fortress under its original name, Pishpek. It lay within the General Governorship of [[Russian Turkestan]] and its [[Semirechye Oblast]].

The [[Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast]] was established in 1925 in Russian Turkestan, promoting Pishpek to its capital. In 1926, the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] renamed the city ''Frunze'', after [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] military leader [[Mikhail Frunze]] (1885–1925), who was born there. Frunze became the capital of the [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic]] in 1936, during the final stages of [[national delimitation in the Soviet Union]]. In 1991, the [[Kyrgyz parliament]] changed the capital's name to a modified original name of Pishpek as Bishkek.

Bishkek is situated at an altitude of about {{convert|800|m}}, just off the northern fringe of the [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range]], an extension of the [[Tian Shan]] mountain range. These mountains rise to a height of {{convert|4895|m}}. North of the city, a fertile and gently undulating steppe extends far north into neighbouring [[Kazakhstan]]. The river [[Chu (river)|Chüy]] drains most of the area. Bishkek is connected to the [[Turkestan–Siberia Railway]] by a [[spur line]].

Bishkek is a very large city of wide boulevards and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous [[Khrushchevka|Soviet-style apartment blocks]] surrounding interior courtyards. There are also thousands of smaller, privately built houses, mostly outside the city centre. Streets follow a grid pattern, with most flanked on both sides by narrow irrigation channels, which provide water to trees which provide shade during the hot summers.

== Etymology ==
Bishkek is supposedly named after the paddle used to churn fermenting milk.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishkek Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 |url=https://www.icesco.org/en/bishkek-capital-of-islamic-culture-2014/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=ICESCO-En |language=en-US |archive-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111190636/https://www.icesco.org/en/bishkek-capital-of-islamic-culture-2014/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-26 |title=In Kyrgyzstan, a taste of the 'purest milk imaginable' |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/5efd328e-bcdd-41ec-96c1-1aec00f38d74 |access-date=2022-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=21 July 2022 |title=This Asian country is betting on fermented horse milk to attract tourists |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/kyrgyzstan-kumis-fermented-milk-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

The official website of Bishkek's city hall provides the following etymological justification for the name of the city: the pregnant wife of a hero lost a paddle used to churn [[kumis]]. While looking for it, she suddenly gave birth to a boy, who she named Bishkek. Bishkek would grow up to be a noble figure and after his death, was buried on a mound near the banks of the [[Alamüdün (river)|Alamüdün]]. There, a tombstone was erected. The building was seen and described by travelers of the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=История города |url=http://www.meria.kg/ru/history |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Мэрия |language=ru}}</ref>

Under Soviet rule, from 1926 to 1991, the city was named ''Frunze'' in honour of [[Bolshevik]] [[Mikhail Frunze]].

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Bishkek}}

Based on DNA evidence, the area near Bishkek is considered one of the possible origins of the [[Black Death]] between AD 1346 and 1353.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-death-plague-that-killed-50-million-in-europe-began-in-central-asia-study-shows-11655305200 | title=Black Death Mystery Solved Centuries After Plague Killed 50 Million in Europe | newspaper=Wall Street Journal | date=15 June 2022 | last1=Woodward | first1=Aylin }}</ref>

===Kokhand rule===
Originally a caravan rest stop, possibly founded by the [[Sogdia]]ns, on one of the branches of the [[Silk Road]] through the [[Tian Shan]] range, the location was fortified in 1825 by the [[khan of Kokand]] with a mud fort. In the last years of Kokhand rule, the Pishpek fortress was led by [[Atabeg|Atabek]], [[Kurmanjan Datka|the Datka]]. In 1844, the forces of [[Ormon Khan]], the leader of the {{Ill|Кыргыз хандыгы|lt=Kara-Kyrgyz Khanate|ky}}, briefly captured the fortress.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belyakov |first=Yuri |date=2020 |title=Ормон-хан |trans-title=Ormon Khan |url=https://proza.ru/2020/05/02/745 |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=proza.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

===Tsarist era===
In 1860, [[Imperial Russia]] annexed the area, and the military forces of Colonel Apollon Zimmerman took and razed the fort. Colonel Zimmermann rebuilt the town over the destroyed fort and appointed field-Poruchik Titov as head of a new Russian garrison. The Imperial Russian government redeveloped the site from 1877 onward, encouraging the settlement of Russian peasants by giving them fertile land to develop.

===Soviet era===
[[File:Michael Frunze Statue vor dem Bahnhof von Bischkek.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|right|Statue of [[Mikhail Frunze]] near the railway station]]
In 1926, the city became the capital of the newly established [[Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast|Kirghiz ASSR]] and was renamed Frunze after [[Mikhail Frunze]], [[Lenin]]'s close associate who was born in Bishkek and played key roles during the [[1905 Russian Revolution|revolutions of 1905]] and [[Russian Revolution|1917]] and during the [[Russian Civil War]] of the early 1920s.

===Independence era===
The early 1990s were a tumultuous time for Bishkek. In June 1990, a state of emergency was declared following severe ethnic riots in southern Kyrgyzstan that threatened to spread to the capital. The city was renamed Bishkek on 5 February 1991, and Kyrgyzstan achieved independence later that year during the [[breakup of the Soviet Union]]. Before independence, the majority of Bishkek's population were ethnic [[Russians]]. In 2004, Russians made up approximately 20% of the city's population, and about {{nowrap|7–8%}} in 2011.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3681/is_200407/ai_n9472919 Residential Real Estate Market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Current Conditions and Prospects]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321113715/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3681/is_200407/ai_n9472919 |date=21 March 2009 }}</ref>

Bishkek is Kyrgyzstan's financial centre, with all of the country's 21 commercial banks headquartered there. During the Soviet era, the city was home to many industrial plants, but most have been shut down since 1991 or now operate on a much-reduced scale. One of Bishkek's largest employment centres today is the [[Dordoy Bazaar]] open market, where many of the Chinese goods imported to [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] countries are sold.

==Geography==
[[File:Alma-Ata NK-43 (1948) - panoramio.jpg|left|thumb|Map including Bishkek (labelled as Frunze) ([[Army Map Service|AMS]], 1948)]]

===Orientation===
Although Bishkek itself is relatively young, its surrounding area has some sites of interest dating to prehistoric times. There are also sites from the [[Greco-Buddhist art|Greco-Buddhist]] period, the period of [[Church of the East|Nestorian]] influence, the era of the Central Asian ''[[khanate]]s'', and the Soviet period.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |title=Bishkek: The City of Lenin and the White House {{!}} .TR |url=https://www.tourism-review.com/travel-tourism-magazine-bishkek-the-city-of-lenin-and-the-white-house-article765 |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=www.tourism-review.com |language=en}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Russian Orthodox cathedral in Bishkek.jpg|thumb|Russian Orthodox cathedral of the Holy Resurrection]]
The central part of the city is laid out on a rectangular grid plan. The city's main street is the east-west Chüy Avenue ([[Chüy Prospekti]]), named after the region's [[Chu (river)|main river]]. In the Soviet era, it was called [[Lenin]] Avenue. Along or near it are many important government buildings and universities. These include the [[Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences]] compound. The westernmost section of the avenue is known as [[Deng Xiaoping]] Avenue.

Sovietskaya Street forms the primary north–south corridor through Bishkek. Officially, Sovietskaya Street has been renamed [[Leadership of Communist Kyrgyzstan|Yusup Abdrakhmanov]] Street, but it is still commonly referred to by its original name. Its northern and southern sections are called, respectively, Yelebesov and Baityk Batyr Streets. Several major shopping centres are located along with it, and in the north, it provides access to [[Dordoy Bazaar]].

Erkindik ("Freedom") Boulevard runs from north to south, from the main railroad station (Bishkek II) south of Chüy Avenue to the museum quarter and sculpture park just north of Chüy Avenue, and further north toward the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the past, it was called Dzerzhinsky Boulevard, named after a Communist revolutionary, [[Felix Dzerzhinsky]], and its northern continuation is still called Dzerzhinsky Street.

An important east–west street is Jibek Jolu ('[[Silk Road]]'). It runs parallel to Chüy Avenue about {{Cvt|2|km}} north of it and is part of the main east–west road of [[Chüy Region]]. Both the eastern and western bus terminals are located along Jibek Jolu.

There is a Roman Catholic church located at ul. Vasiljeva 197 (near Rynok Bayat). It is the only Catholic cathedral in Kyrgyzstan.<ref>[http://www.catholic-kyrgyzstan.org/ Catholic Church in Kyrgyzstan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803091208/http://www.catholic-kyrgyzstan.org/ |date=3 August 2019 }}. Catholic-kyrgyzstan.org. Retrieved 11 March 2012.</ref>

A stadium named in honour of Dolon Omurzakov is located near the centre of Bishkek. This is the largest stadium in the Kyrgyz Republic.

===City centre===
* [[Kyrgyz State Historical Museum]], located in [[Ala-Too Square]], the main city square.
* State Museum of Applied Arts, containing examples of traditional Kyrgyz [[handicraft]]s.
* Frunze House Museum.
* Statue of [[Ivan Panfilov]] in the park near the [[White House, Bishkek|White House]].
* An [[equestrian statue]] of [[Mikhail Frunze]] stands in a large park (Boulevard Erkindik) across from the train station.
* The train station was built in 1946 by German [[Prisoner of war|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adam University School of Medicine |url=https://fm.adam.kg/kyrgyzstan/bishkek/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=fm.adam.kg}}</ref>
* The main government building, the White House, is a large seven-story marble building 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.
*[[Osh Bazaar]], west of the city centre, is a large, picturesque produce market.
*[[Kyrgyz National Philharmonic]], concert hall.

===Outer neighbourhoods===
The [[Dordoy Bazaar]], just inside the bypass highway on the north-eastern edge of the city, is a major retail and wholesale market.

===Outside the city===
The [[Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range|Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountain range]], some {{convert|40|km}} away, provides a spectacular backdrop to the city; the [[Ala Archa National Park]] is only a 30- to 45-minute drive away.

===Distances===
Bishkek is about 300&nbsp;km away directly from the country's second largest city [[Osh]]. However, its nearest large city is [[Almaty]] of Kazakhstan, which is 190&nbsp;km to the east. Furthermore, it is 470&nbsp;km from [[Tashkent]] (Uzbekistan), 680&nbsp;km from [[Dushanbe]] (Tajikistan), and about 1,000&nbsp;km each from [[Astana]] (Kazakhstan), [[Ürümqi]] (China), [[Islamabad]] (Pakistan), and [[Kabul]] (Afghanistan).

===Climate===
Bishkek has a Mediterranean-influenced [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dsa''), as the average mean temperature in the winter is below {{cvt|0|C|1}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Koppen Map |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Asia_K%C3%B6ppen_Map.png |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Upload.wikimedia.org}}</ref> Average [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] is around {{convert|440|mm}} per year. Average daily high temperatures range from {{Cvt|3|C|1}} in January to about {{cvt|31|C|1}} during July.<ref name=Pogoda/> The summer months are dominated by dry periods, punctuated by the occasional [[thunderstorm]], which produces strong gusty winds and rare [[dust storm]]s. The mountains to the south provide a natural boundary and protection from damaging weather, as does the smaller mountain chain that runs north-west to south-east. In the winter months, sparse [[Winter storm|snow storms]] and frequent heavy [[fog]] are the dominating features. There are sometimes temperature inversions, during which the fog can last for days at a time.
{{clear}}
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Bishkek (1991–2020, extremes 1936–present)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan record high C = 20.0
|Feb record high C = 25.4
|Mar record high C = 30.5
|Apr record high C = 34.7
|May record high C = 36.7
|Jun record high C = 40.9
|Jul record high C = 42.1
|Aug record high C = 39.7
|Sep record high C = 37.1
|Oct record high C = 34.2
|Nov record high C = 29.8
|Dec record high C = 23.7
|year record high C = 42.1
|Jan high C = 2.9
|Feb high C = 5.1
|Mar high C = 12.1
|Apr high C = 18.7
|May high C = 24.1
|Jun high C = 29.5
|Jul high C = 32.4
|Aug high C = 31.4
|Sep high C = 25.6
|Oct high C = 18.5
|Nov high C = 10.3
|Dec high C = 4.6
|year high C = 17.9
|Jan mean C = −2.7
|Feb mean C = −0.5
|Mar mean C = 6.2
|Apr mean C = 12.8
|May mean C = 17.8
|Jun mean C = 22.9
|Jul mean C = 25.5
|Aug mean C = 24.2
|Sep mean C = 18.7
|Oct mean C = 11.6
|Nov mean C = 4.2
|Dec mean C = −1.1
|year mean C = 11.6
|Jan low C = −7.1
|Feb low C = −4.9
|Mar low C = 1.0
|Apr low C = 6.9
|May low C = 11.2
|Jun low C = 16.1
|Jul low C = 18.4
|Aug low C = 16.9
|Sep low C = 11.7
|Oct low C = 5.6
|Nov low C = −0.5
|Dec low C = −5.2
|year low C = 5.8
|Jan record low C = −31.9
|Feb record low C = −34.0
|Mar record low C = −21.8
|Apr record low C = −12.3
|May record low C = −5.5
|Jun record low C = 2.4
|Jul record low C = 7.4
|Aug record low C = 5.1
|Sep record low C = −2.8
|Oct record low C = −11.2
|Nov record low C = −32.2
|Dec record low C = −29.1
|year record low C = −34.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 28
|Feb precipitation mm = 36
|Mar precipitation mm = 48
|Apr precipitation mm = 71
|May precipitation mm = 59
|Jun precipitation mm = 34
|Jul precipitation mm = 19
|Aug precipitation mm = 15
|Sep precipitation mm = 18
|Oct precipitation mm = 37
|Nov precipitation mm = 45
|Dec precipitation mm = 37
|year precipitation mm = 455
|Jan snow depth cm = 5
|Feb snow depth cm = 3
|Mar snow depth cm = 1
|Apr snow depth cm = 0
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 1
|Dec snow depth cm = 3
|year snow depth cm = 5
|Jan humidity = 75
|Feb humidity = 75
|Mar humidity = 71
|Apr humidity = 63
|May humidity = 60
|Jun humidity = 50
|Jul humidity = 46
|Aug humidity = 45
|Sep humidity = 48
|Oct humidity = 62
|Nov humidity = 70
|Dec humidity = 75
|year humidity = 62
|Jan rain days = 3
|Feb rain days = 5
|Mar rain days = 9
|Apr rain days = 12
|May rain days = 13
|Jun rain days = 10
|Jul rain days = 10
|Aug rain days = 6
|Sep rain days = 6
|Oct rain days = 8
|Nov rain days = 7
|Dec rain days = 4
|year rain days = 93
|Jan snow days = 9
|Feb snow days = 9
|Mar snow days = 5
|Apr snow days = 2
|May snow days = 0.3
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 1
|Nov snow days = 4
|Dec snow days = 7
|year snow days = 37
|Jan sun = 137
|Feb sun = 128
|Mar sun = 153
|Apr sun = 194
|May sun = 261
|Jun sun = 306
|Jul sun = 332
|Aug sun = 317
|Sep sun = 264
|Oct sun = 196
|Nov sun = 144
|Dec sun = 114
|year sun = 2546
|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name="Pogoda">{{Cite web  |title=Weather and Climate-The Climate of Bishkek |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/38353.htm  |access-date=3 January 2022  |publisher=Weather and Climate |language=ru}}</ref> 
|source 2 = NOAA (sun, 1961–1990)<ref name="NOAA">{{Cite web |title=Frunze (Bishkek) Climate Normals 1961–1990 |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/TABLES/REG_II/KY/38353.TXT |access-date=8 February 2015 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] }}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

==Demographics==
Bishkek is the most populated city in Kyrgyzstan. Its population, estimated in 2021, was 1,074,075.<ref name=pop21>{{cite Kyrgyzstan population 2021}}</ref> From the foundation of the city to the mid-1990s, ethnic Russians and other peoples of European descent (Ukrainians, Germans) comprised the majority of the city's population. According to the 1970 census, the ethnic Kyrgyz were only 12.3%, while Europeans comprised more than 80% of the Frunze population. Now Bishkek is a predominantly Kyrgyz city, with 75% of its residents Kyrgyz, while European peoples make up around 15% of the population.<ref name="Table 1.13: Distribution of the resident population by individual nationalities at the beginning of 2020">{{cite web |title=Дем. ежегодник 2015-2019гг.xlsx |url=https://stat.gov.kg/media/publicationarchive/b87b13d4-7bc2-43bf-b4cc-6d1f12619db8.rar |publisher=National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic |access-date=19 September 2021}}</ref> Despite this fact, Russian is the main language while Kyrgyz continues losing ground, especially among the younger generations.<ref name="Ferdinand and Komlósi">{{Cite journal |title=Ferdinand, S. & Komlósi, F. 2016. The vitality of the Kyrgyz Language in Bishkek |journal=Ijors - International Journal of Russian Studies |url=https://www.academia.edu/27246121 |access-date=10 September 2016 |publisher=IJORS 5–2, pp.&nbsp;210–226|last1=Komlosi-Ferdinand |first1=Flora |last2=Ferdinand |first2=Siarl |date=25 July 2016 }}</ref>

{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical populations in Bishkek
|align       = none
|cols        = 2
|graph-pos   = bottom
|percentages = pagr
|1876|182
|1882|2135
|1893|4857
|1897|6615
|1902|9656
|1907|13752
|1913|20102
|1926|36610
|1939|92783
|1959|223831
|1970|436459
|1979|535450
|1989|619903
|1999|762308
|2009|835743
|2010|846500
|2011|859800
|2012|874400
|2021|1074075
|footnote= Source:<ref>[http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_gub_97.php?reg=85 Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Наличное население в губерниях, уездах, городах Российской Империи (без Финляндии). Семиреченская область] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629062446/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_gub_97.php?reg=85 |date=29 June 2011 }} – First General Russian Empire Census of 1897. Population in provinces, districts, towns of Russian Empire (without Finland). Semirech'e Province (Demoscope.ru) {{in lang|ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Petrov |first=Vladimir |year=2005 |title=Пишпек исчезающий 1825–1926 (Pishpek disappearing. 1825–1926) |place=Bishkek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Pisarskoy |first1=Evgeniy |last2=Kurbatov |first2=Valentin |year=1976 |title=Архитектура Советской Киргизии (Architecture of Soviet Kirghizia.) |publisher=Stroyizdat |place=Moscow}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |year=1908 |title=Review of Semirech'e Oblast for 1907 (Обзор Семиреченской области за 1907 год) |url=http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/56/ |url-status=dead |publisher=Publishing House of Semirech'e Provincial Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722132014/http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/56/ |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=6 March 2011 |place=Verniy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |year=1903 |title=Review of Semirech'e Oblast for 1902 (Обзор Семиреченской области за 1902 год) |url=http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/54/ |url-status=dead |publisher=Publishing House of Semirech'e Provincial Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713165604/http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/54/ |archive-date=13 July 2018 |access-date=7 March 2011 |place=Verniy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |year=1928 |title=Всесоюзная перепись населения 1926 года : Киргизская АССР. (All-Union Census of 1926: Kyrgyz ASSR) |url=http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/30/ |url-status=dead |publisher=CSU SSSR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722132021/http://rarebooks.net.kg/ru/view/30/ |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=6 March 2011 |place=Moscow}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_pop_39_2.php| title = 1939 census USSR}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr59_reg2.php| title = 1959 census USSR}}</ref><ref name=stat09/><ref name=pop21/>}}

==Ecology and environment==

===Air quality===
Emissions of air pollutants in Bishkek amounted to 14,400 tons in 2010.<ref name="meteo.ktnet.kg">{{Cite web |title=Анализ загрязнения атмосферы |url=http://www.nature.kg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=11&lang=ru |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Nature.kg |archive-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209054306/http://www.nature.kg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=11&lang=ru |url-status=dead }}</ref> Among all cities in Kyrgyzstan, the level of [[air pollution]] in Bishkek is the highest, occasionally exceeding maximum allowable concentrations by several times, especially in the city centre.<ref>[http://www.nature.kg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=11&lang=ru Web-site of the State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry: Assessment of Air Pollution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209054306/http://www.nature.kg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=11&lang=ru |date=9 February 2014 }}. Meteo.ktnet.kg. Retrieved on 11 March 2012.</ref> For example, concentrations of [[formaldehyde]] occasionally exceed maximum allowable limits by a factor of four. The hydrogeologist Zheenbek Kulbekov identifies coal-heating mainly in informal settlements (''samozakhvat''), the exhaust from private vehicles and the lack of air circulation as the three main factors for the grave air pollution in Kyrgyzstan's capital.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Leupold |first=David |date=2023-08-09 |title=Skyrise, Smog and Seismic Menace. In the El Dorado of Bishkek's Elite Housing |journal=Europe-Asia Studies |language=en |volume=75 |issue=7 |pages=1218 |doi=10.1080/09668136.2023.2185203 |issn=0966-8136|doi-access=free }}</ref> The latter is mainly due to the haphazard construction of private multi-story buildings - in contradiction to former city plans developed up until the end of the USSR - which prompted discussion on a moratorium on the further construction of high-rise buildings.<ref name="Leupold 1194–1221">{{Cite journal |last=Leupold |first=David |date=2023-08-09 |title=Skyrise, Smog and Seismic Menace. In the El Dorado of Bishkek's Elite Housing |journal=Europe-Asia Studies |language=en |volume=75 |issue=7 |pages=1194–1221 |doi=10.1080/09668136.2023.2185203 |issn=0966-8136|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Responsibility for ambient air quality monitoring in Bishkek lies with the Kyrgyz State Agency of [[Hydrometeorology]]. There are seven air-quality monitoring stations in Bishkek, measuring levels of [[sulfur dioxide]], nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and [[ammonia]].<ref name="meteo.ktnet.kg" />

==Economy==
[[File:E7919-Dordoy-Bazaar-clothing.jpg|thumb|[[Dordoy Bazaar]]]]
Bishkek uses the Kyrgyzstan currency, the [[Kyrgyzstani som|som]]. The som's value fluctuates regularly but averaged around 86 som per U.S. dollar as of November 2024. The economy in Bishkek is primarily agricultural, and agricultural products are sometimes bartered in the outlying regions. The streets of Bishkek are regularly lined with produce vendors in a market-style venue. In most of the downtown area there is a more urban cityscape with banks, stores, markets, and malls. Sought-after goods include hand-crafted artisan pieces, such as statues, carvings, paintings, and many nature-based sculptures.

=== Housing ===
As with many cities in post-Soviet states, housing in Bishkek has undergone extensive changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union. While housing was formerly distributed to citizens in the Soviet era, housing in Bishkek has since become privatised.

Though single-family houses are slowly becoming more popular, the majority of the residents live in Soviet-era apartments. Despite the Kyrgyz economy experiencing growth, increases in available housing have been slow with very little new construction and a doubling of prices from 2001 to 2002.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roseman |first=Gary |title=The Residential Real Estate Market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |journal=Real Estate Issues |volume=Summer 2004}}</ref> This changed by the 2010s when an unprecedented housing boom has transformed the city. By 2021, over 246 construction firms were active in Kyrgyzstan, primarily focusing on upscale residences, often marketed as 'business class' or 'premium class' accommodations.<ref name=":0" /> The southern part of the city, where a significant portion of new constructions is concentrated, faces a critical concern due to its proximity to the Issyk-Ata fault line.<ref name=":0" /> Compounded by the inadequately seismic-proof architecture of most of these buildings, this situation poses a serious threat to the safety of residents and has sparked criticism.<ref name="Leupold 1194–1221"/> Limited land availability propels private developers to encroach into socialist-era residential zones, resulting in the loss of green spaces and vital social infrastructure, including sports fields and playgrounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leupold |first=David |date=2023-08-09 |title=Skyrise, Smog and Seismic Menace. In the El Dorado of Bishkek's Elite Housing |journal=Europe-Asia Studies |language=en |volume=75 |issue=7 |pages=1213–14 |doi=10.1080/09668136.2023.2185203 |issn=0966-8136|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Those unable to afford the high housing price within Bishkek, notably internal migrants from rural villages and small provincial towns, often have to resort to informal [[Squatting in Kyrgyzstan|squatter settlements]] on the city's outskirts such as Ak Jar, Ak Jol, Ak Örgö, Altyn Kazyk, Archa Beshik, Kalys-Ordo, Kayndy-2, Kelechek, Muras-Ordo and TETS-2 Yntymak.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isabaeva |first=Eliza |date=2013 |title=Migration into the "Illegality" and Coping with Difficulties in a Squatter Settlement in Bishkek |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24364951 |journal=Zeitschrift für Ethnologie |volume=138 |issue=2 |pages=139–154 |jstor=24364951 |issn=0044-2666}}</ref> These urban settlements are estimated to house 400,000 people or about 30 percent of Bishkek's population. While many of the settlements have lacked basic necessities such as electricity and running water, recently, the local government has pushed to provide these services.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isabaeva |first=Eliza |year=2013 |title=Migration into the "Illegality" and Coping with Difficulties in a Squatter Settlement in Bishkek |journal=Zeitschrift für Ethnologie |volume=138}}</ref>

==Government==
Local government is administered by the Bishkek Mayor's Office. [[Askarbek Salymbekov]] was mayor until his resignation in August 2005, after 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 [[Daniar Usenov]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 October 2007 |title=New mayor of Bishkek promises to solve capital's problems |publisher=The Times of Central Asia |url=http://www.timesca.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182916&Itemid=7 |access-date=18 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619111339/http://www.timesca.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182916&Itemid=7 |archive-date=19 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marat |first=Erica |date=15 October 2007 |title=Upcoming referendum sinks Kyrgyzstan deeper into crisis |url=http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372503 |journal=Eurasia Daily Monitor |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |volume=4 |issue=190 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022122621/http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372503 |archive-date=22 October 2007 |access-date=18 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 August 2005 |title=Kyrgyz capital gets new mayor |publisher=Radio Free Europe |url=http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-08-22.rferl.html#20 |url-status=live |access-date=18 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605073147/http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-08-22.rferl.html#20 |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> In July 2008 former head of the Kyrgyz Railways [[Nariman Tuleyev]] was appointed mayor, who was dismissed by the interim government after 7 April 2010. From April 2010 to February 2011 Isa Omurkulov, also a former head of the Kyrgyz Railways, was an interim mayor,<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 July 2008 |title=New Mayor for Bishkek |publisher=Lenta.Ru |url=http://www.lenta.ru/news/2008/07/07/bishkek/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607094506/http://www.lenta.ru/news/2008/07/07/bishkek/ |archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref> and from 4 February 2011 to 14 December 2013 he was re-elected the mayor of Bishkek.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 February 2011 |title=Isa Omurkulov elected mayor of Bishkek |publisher=Radio Azattyk |url=http://rus.azattyk.org/a/3484359.html |access-date=10 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 December 2013 |title=Isa Omurkulov resigned |publisher=Vecherniy Bishkek |url=http://www.vb.kg/doc/253805_isa_omyrkylov_podal_v_otstavky.html |access-date=10 August 2016}}</ref> Kubanychbek Kulmatov was nominated for election by parliamentary group of [[Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan]] in city kenesh, and he was elected as a new mayor on 15 January 2014,<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 February 2016 |title=Kubanychbek Kulmatov elected mayor of Bishkek |publisher=Radio Azattyk |url=http://rus.azattyk.org/a/25230503.html |access-date=10 August 2016}}</ref> and stepped down on 9 February 2016. The next mayor, Albek Sabirbekovich Ibraimov, was also nominated for election by parliamentary group of Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan in city kenesh, and Bishkek City Kenesh elected him on 27 February 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 February 2016 |title=Albek Ibraimov elected mayor of Bishkek |publisher=Radio Azattyk |url=http://rus.azattyk.org/a/27577073.html |access-date=10 August 2016}}</ref> The current mayor is Emil Abdykadyrov, who was elected on 24 February 2022.

<gallery class="center">
Kyrgyz Republic Government Building.jpg|Former Central Committee Building
American University of Central Asia, Bishkek (2005).jpg|Former Supreme Soviet Building
</gallery>

===Administrative divisions===
Bishkek city covers {{convert|169.6|km2|abbr=off}}<ref name="stat09" /> and is administered separately and not part of any region. Besides the city proper, one [[urban-type settlement]] and one village are administered by the city: [[Chon-Aryk, Bishkek|Chong-Aryk]] and [[Orto-Say]].<ref name="class" /> The city is divided into 4 districts: [[Birinchi May District, Bishkek|Birinchi May]], [[Lenin District, Bishkek|Lenin]], [[Oktyabr District, Bishkek|Oktyabr]] and [[Sverdlov District, Bishkek|Sverdlov]]. Chon-Aryk and Orto-Say are part of Lenin District.<ref name="class" />

== Culture ==
Bishkek is culturally the country's most important city. It is home to the [[National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic]] as well as a number of museums, e.g.  the [[Kyrgyz State Historical Museum]] or the [[M. V. Frunze Museum]]. The national public broadcasting service KTRK or [[Kyrgyz Television]] is based in Bishkek. Newspapers in Bishkek include the English-language  [[Bishkek Observer]], the world's only [[Dungan language|dungan-language]] newspaper called [[Huimin bao]] and the  Russian-language [[Vecherniy Bishkek]] newspaper.

===Religion===
The largest religion is [[Sunni Islam]], but since many Russians live in Kyrgyzstan, there is also a large [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] community. The [[Bishkek Central Mosque]] is one of the largest in Central Asia. Bishkek is home to the Roman Catholic [[Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan]].

===Sports===
Bishkek is home to [[Dolen Omurzakov Stadium]], the largest [[association football|football]] stadium in Kyrgyzstan and the only one eligible to host international matches.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120919015326/http://www.the-afc.com/en/member-association-news/central-a-south-asia-news/1924 Corporate Japanese companies to renovate Kyrgyzstan football stadium]. The-afc.com (9 November 2007). Retrieved on 11 March 2012.</ref> Several Bishkek-based football teams play on this pitch, including six-time Kyrgyzstan League champions, [[FC Dordoi Bishkek|Dordoi Bishkek]]. Others include [[FC Alga Bishkek|Alga Bishkek]], [[Ilbirs Bishkek FC|Ilbirs Bishkek]], and [[FC RUOR-Guardia Bishkek|RUOR-Guardia Bishkek]].

Bishkek hosted the [[2014 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia – Division I]].

==Education==
Educational institutions in Bishkek include:
* [[Kyrgyz International University NRZ]]
* [[APAP KR]]
* [[American University of Central Asia]]
* [[Arabaev Kyrgyz State University]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://geocities.com/kyrgyzeducation/ |title = October 2009+01:35:14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027033026/http://geocities.com/kyrgyzeducation/ |archive-date=27 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Bishkek Humanities University]]
* [[International Atatürk-Alatoo University]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Ataturk Alatoo University |url=http://www.iaau.edu.kg |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Iaau.edu.kg |archive-date=30 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130231902/http://www.iaau.edu.kg/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[International University of Kyrgyzstan]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Главная Международный университет Кыргызстана.&#124; |url=http://www.iuk.kg |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Iuk.kg}}</ref>
* [[Kyrgyz International University NRZ]]
* [[Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Кыргызско-Российский Славянский университет имени Б.Н. Ельцина – Главная |url=http://www.krsu.edu.kg |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Krsu.edu.kg}}</ref>
* I.K. Akhunbaev [[Kyrgyz State Medical Academy]]
* [[Kyrgyz State National University]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 November 2012 |title=Новости КНУ им. Ж.Баласагына |url=http://www.university.kg |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=University.kg}}</ref>
* [[Kyrgyz Technical University]]
* [[Kyrgyz-Russian State University]]
* [[Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kırgızistan-Türkiye Manas Üniversitesi |url=http://www.manas.edu.kg |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Manas.kg}}</ref>
* [[Kyrgyz Uzbek University]]
* [[Plato University of Management and Design]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plato UMD – Home |url=http://umd.edu.kg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825003410/http://umd.edu.kg/ |archive-date=25 August 2012 |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Umd.edu.kg}}</ref>
* [[University of Central Asia]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Central Asia – University of Central Asia |url=http://www.ucentralasia.org/ |access-date=2017-02-23 |website=www.ucentralasia.org}}</ref>
In addition, the following international schools serve the expatriate community in Bishkek:
* [[European School in Central Asia]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 October 2014 |title=European School in Central Asia – Bishkek – Kyrgyzstan |url=http://www.esca.kg/ |access-date=13 October 2014 |publisher=esca.kg}}</ref>
* [[Oxford International School Bishkek]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxford.kg// |title=Oxford International School |publisher=oxford.kg |access-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809131531/http://www.oxford.kg// |archive-date=9 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Hope Academy of Bishkek]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hope Academy of Bishkek |url=http://www.hopeacademykg.com/ |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Hopeacademykg.com}}</ref>
* [[QSI International School of Bishkek]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bishkek.qsischool.org/ |title=Welcome &#124; QSI |publisher=Bishkek.qsischool.org |access-date=21 November 2012}}</ref>
* [[Silk Road International School]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=SRIS - Silk Road International School, Bishkek |url=https://sris.edu.kg/ |publisher=sris.edu.kg}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:E8094-Bishkek-East-Bus-Station.jpg|thumb|A typical Bishkek passenger van passes by the East Bus Terminal]]
[[File:E7912-Bishkek2-interior.jpg|thumb|The electronic board in the main hall of Bishkek-2, the main train station, shows Bishkek and Moscow time.]]
[[File:Bishkek Railway Station.jpg|thumb|[[Bishkek-2 railway station]]]]

=== Mass public transport ===
Public transportation includes buses, electric [[trolleybus]]es, and public vans (alternatively known as minibuses<ref>{{cite web |title=Transport-in-Kyrgyzstan |url=https://trvlland.com/blog-kyrgyzstan/transport-in-kyrgyzstan/ |website=Travel Land |access-date=26 July 2025 |date=20 September 2021}}</ref> or known in Russian as ''[[marshrutka]]''). The first bus and trolley bus services in Bishkek were introduced in 1934 and 1951, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frunze. City Encyclopedia. |url=http://yiv1999.narod.ru/ABC_0040.htm#6300 |access-date=26 January 2014}}</ref>

Taxi cabs can be found throughout the city.

The city is considering designing and building a light rail system.

===Commuter and long-distance buses===
There are two main bus stations in Bishkek. The smaller old Eastern Bus Station is primarily the terminal for minibusses to various destinations within or just beyond the eastern suburbs, such as [[Kant, Kyrgyzstan|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 neighbouring [[Kazakhstan]]) and [[Kashgar]], China, run mostly from the newer grand Western Bus Station; only a smaller number run from the Eastern Station.

The Dordoy Bazaar on the north-eastern outskirts of the city also contains makeshift terminals for frequent minibusses to suburban towns in all directions (from [[Sokuluk]] in the west to [[Tokmok|Tokmak]] in the east) and to some buses taking traders to Kazakhstan and Siberia.

===Rail===
{{As of|2007}}, the [[Bishkek-2 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 remarkably slow (over 48 hours to Yekaterinburg), due to long stops at the border and the indirect route (the trains first have to go west for more than a {{convert|100|km}} before they enter the main TurkSib line and can continue to the east or north). For example, as of the fall of 2008, train No. 305 Bishkek-Yekaterinburg was scheduled to take 11 hours to reach the [[Shu, Jambyl|Shu]] junction—a distance of some {{convert|269|km}} by rail, and less than half of that by road.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Маршрут поезда ????? – ????? на сайте |url=http://www.poezda.net/ru/train_timetable?st_code=2708000&order=&forDate=3 |access-date=21 November 2012 |publisher=Poezda.net}}</ref>

===Air===
The city is served by [[Manas International Airport]] ([[International Air Transport Association|IATA]] code BSZ), located approximately {{convert|25|km}} north-west of the city centre.

In 2001, the United States obtained the right to use Manas International Airport as an [[Transit Center at Manas|air base]] for its military operations in [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dzyubenko |first=Olga |date=June 3, 2014 |title=U.S. vacates base in Central Asia as Russia's clout rises |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0EE1LG/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240210094832/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0EE1LG/ |archive-date=February 10, 2024 |access-date=February 10, 2024 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> Russia subsequently (2003) established an airbase of its own ([[Kant (air base)|Kant Air Base]]) near [[Kant, Kyrgyzstan|Kant]], some {{convert|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]].

==Notable people==
* [[Chinghiz Aitmatov]] (1928–2008), writer
* [[Sopubek Begaliev]] (1931–2002), economist
* [[Altynai Botoyarova]] (born 2004), model
* [[Igor Chudinov]] (born 1961), politician
* [[Tugolbay Sydykbekov]] (1912–1997), writer
* [[Talant Dujshebaev]] (born 1968), handball coach and former handball player
* [[Mikhail Frunze]] (1885–1925), after whom the city was named from 1926 to 1991
* [[Nasirdin Isanov]] (1943–1991), first prime minister of Kyrgyzstan
* [[Kamchy Kolbayev]] (1974–2023), crime boss
* [[Sergei B. Korolev]] (born 1962), First Deputy Director of the [[Federal Security Service]]
* [[Felix Kulov]] (born 1948), politician
* [[Orzubek Nazarov]] (born 1966), former WBA lightweight boxing champion
* [[Roza Otunbayeva]] (born 1950), third president of Kyrgyzstan
* [[Vladimir Perlin]] (born 1942), cellist
* [[Denis Petrashov]] (born 2000), swimmer, Youth Games and Maccabiah Games medalist
* [[Salizhan Sharipov]] (born 1964), first cosmonaut of independent Kyrgyzstan
* [[Antonina Shevchenko]] (born 1984), kickboxer
* [[Valentina Shevchenko]] (born 1988), kickboxer and UFC champion
* [[Iasyr Shivaza]] (1906–1988), poet and activist
* [[Natalya Tsyganova]] (born 1971), 800m medallist at the World and European championships, representing Russia
* [[Daniar Usenov]] (born 1960), banker and politician

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Asia#Kyrgyzstan|l1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Kyrgyzstan}}
Bishkek is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Бишкек стал городом-побратимом Уфы|url=https://kaktus.media/doc/360315_bishkek_stal_gorodom_pobratimom_yfy.html|website=kaktus.media|publisher=Kaktus Media|language=ru|date=2017-07-14|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Almaty]], Kazakhstan (1994)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ankara]], Turkey (1992)<ref>{{cite web|title=Ankaranın Kardeş Şehirleri|url=https://www.ankara.bel.tr/genel-sekreter/genel-sekreter-yardimcisi-faruk-cinki/dis-liskiler-daire-baskanligi/ankaranin-kardes-sehirleri/|website=ankara.bel.tr|publisher=Ankara|language=tr|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025172312/https://www.ankara.bel.tr/genel-sekreter/genel-sekreter-yardimcisi-faruk-cinki/dis-liskiler-daire-baskanligi/ankaranin-kardes-sehirleri/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|TKM}} [[Ashgabat]], Turkmenistan (2018)<ref>{{cite web|title=Kostroma is looking for a twin city in Turkmenistan|url=https://orient.tm/en/kostroma-is-looking-for-a-twin-city-in-turkmenistan/|website=orient.tm|publisher=Orient|date=2020-07-15|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112184043/https://orient.tm/en/kostroma-is-looking-for-a-twin-city-in-turkmenistan/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], United States (1994)<ref>{{cite web |title=Colorado Springs Sister Cities International|url=https://coloradosprings.gov/sistercities|newspaper=Colorado Springs|date=30 April 2018|publisher=City of Colorado Springs|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|QAT}} [[Doha]], Qatar (2014)
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Gumi, North Gyeongsang|Gumi]], South Korea (1991)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[İzmir]], Turkey (1994)
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kyiv]], Ukraine (1997)<ref>{{cite web |title=Перелік міст, з якими Києвом підписані документи про поріднення, дружбу, співробітництво, партнерство|url=https://old.kyivcity.gov.ua/files/2018/2/15/Mista-pobratymy.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://old.kyivcity.gov.ua/files/2018/2/15/Mista-pobratymy.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|website=kyivcity.gov.ua|publisher=Kyiv|language=uk|date=2018-02-15|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Lianyungang]], China (2015)<ref>{{cite web |title=友好往来|url=http://www.lyg.gov.cn/zglygzfmhwz/yhwl/yhwl.htm|website=lyg.gov.cn|publisher=Lianyungang|language=zh|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Astana]], Kazakhstan (2011)
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Qazvin]], Iran (2003)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Samsun]], Turkey<ref>{{cite web|title=Bişkek, Kırgızistan|url=https://www.samsun.bel.tr/icerik/biskek-kirgizistan|website=samsun.bel.tr|publisher=Samsun|language=tr|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=14 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514180354/https://www.samsun.bel.tr/icerik/biskek-kirgizistan|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Liège]], Belgium (2012)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bishkek.gov.kg/ky/international_connections|title=International relations|language=ky|website=City Hall|access-date=2024-01-05}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenzhen]], China (2016)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister Cities|url=http://www.sz.gov.cn/en_szgov/govt/cities/sister/index.html|website=sz.gov.cn|publisher=Shenzhen|language=zh|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UZB}} [[Tashkent]], Uzbekistan<ref>{{cite web|title=Ну, здравствуй, брат! Города-побратимы Ташкента|url=http://vot.uz/article/2015/11/10/neobratimi%D0%B5-pobratimi|website=vot.uz|publisher=The Voice of Tashkent|language=ru|date=2015-11-10|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203081144/http://vot.uz/article/2015/11/10/neobratimi%D0%B5-pobratimi|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Tehran]], Iran (1994)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Trabzon]], Turkey (2014)<ref>{{cite web|title=Kardeş Şehirler|url=https://www.trabzon.bel.tr/fck-sayfalar.aspx?id=4485|website=trabzon.bel.tr|publisher=Trabzon|language=tr|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223212753/https://www.trabzon.bel.tr/fck-sayfalar.aspx?id=4485|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ufa]], Russia (2017)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Ürümqi]], China (1993)<ref>{{cite web|title=新疆维吾尔自治区友城介绍|url=http://fao.xinjiang.gov.cn/xjwqb/ycyx/201208/21615331c0ea4225af1249aed04cb510.shtml|website=xinjiang.gov.cn|publisher=Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region|language=zh|date=2012-08-09|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=13 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113112857/http://fao.xinjiang.gov.cn/xjwqb/ycyx/201208/21615331c0ea4225af1249aed04cb510.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Wuhan]], China (2016)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Yinchuan]], China (2000)<ref>{{cite web |title=银川市友好城市及交流合作情况|url=http://www.yinchuan.gov.cn/sshc/ycgk/yhcs/|website=yinchuan.gov.cn|publisher=Yinchuan|language=zh|access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>

{{div col end}}

== See also ==

* [[List of monuments of Bishkek]]
* [[Outline of Kyrgyzstan]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Bishkek#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Bishkek}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://bishkekspektator.com/ The Spektator – society, culture, and travel articles on Kyrgyzstan and Bishkek city guide] (archived)

{{Districts of Kyrgyzstan}}
{{Provinces of Kyrgyzstan}}
{{Provincial seats of Kyrgyzstan}}
{{List of Asian capitals by region}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|42|52|29|N|74|36|44|E|region:KG_type:city|display=title}}

[[Category:Bishkek| ]]
[[Category:1825 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:Capitals in Asia]]
[[Category:Cities in Central Asia]]
[[Category:Populated places along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1825]]
[[Category:Populated places in Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Regions of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Semirechye Oblast]]