Streets squares and districts to visit Kyrgyzstan

It's the heart of the city, always bustling with activity, especially since the fountains and lights were refurbished just before the 2009 presidential elections. In the center of the square, until 1999 and since 1948, stood a statue of Lenin, which was moved behind the museum, to the "old square", where you can still see it, and replaced by a statue representing freedom for the Kyrgyz people, soberly named the "Freedom Monument". To the north of the square you'll find the Historical Museum, while the east and west sides are lined with arcades under which you'll find a number of restaurants and stands selling succulent cheese samsas, Bishkek's specialty. To the south, staircases lead up to the monumental architectural ensemble, inspired by Soviet credo. The Historical Museum, originally named the Lenin Museum, is an integral part of the square's design, as is the Presidential Palace, nicknamed the "White House", a little further west. White marble dominates the whole complex. In front of the historical museum, the flag of Kyrgyzstan is permanently guarded by a guard of honor, whose changeover inevitably attracts a crowd of locals and tourists amused by the soldiers' marching step: you have to raise your toes to eye level with every step! Ala-Too Square is where all the major national events are celebrated, and where the people gather for every special occasion.

One of the most prestigious squares in the city. The building housing the Philharmonic Orchestra was completed in 1980 and once again bears witness to a very Soviet vision of urban planning. In front of the entrance, a high statue of Manas fighting a dragon has been enthroned since independence, which the fountains rising in the sky seem to carry over the waters. On the right side of the square is the bust of Toktogul Satilganov, one of the most famous Kyrgyz Akyn.

The Osh bazaar is the most impressive in Kyrgyzstan, and is certainly up there with the most attractive in Central Asia. It wakes up every day at 7am, when the smoke from the first chachlyks begins to fill the aisles, between which, in summer, tarpaulins are stretched to provide shade. The traders have a bite to eat before setting about meticulously staging their wares. Like all Central Asian markets, the Osh bazaar is divided into several sectors: a few tourist souvenir stores as you come in from Alisher Navoi street, followed by textiles, fruit, dried fruit, vegetables, spices, meat, kumiss, textiles, boots and accessories for horses, yurt-building materials... You can get lost in the maze of aisles, navigating between stalls at a glance while avoiding being jostled by the cart pushers (" osh !osh!"). The bazaar is such an important part of daily life that a small prayer room has been set up here. The bazaar is such an important part of daily life that a small prayer room has been set up here. You can also enjoy a meal here on a very modest budget, either by sitting down in one of the chaikhanas, or by sampling the various ready-to-eat products on sale (salads, dried fish, kuruts...). You'll find everything you need to fill up on victuals if you're going to Tajikistan, where supplies are more random, as well as local specialties such as Uzgen red rice or Arslanbob pistachios.