History of Bishkek
The appearance of man on the territory of the modern city dates back to ancient times. Finds of stone tools indicate that primitive people lived in the vicinity of Bishkek in 5-4 thousand BC. e.
With the beginning of the Iron Age, tribal unions formed on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The city of Bishkek owes its favorable geographical position to «The Great Silk Road" .
Since ancient times, caravans have passed from China along two routes. The eastern branch of the road in a convenient place in the Trans-Ili Alatau (via Kurdai) went out into the Chui Valley and here it met with another road leading through the Central Tien Shan, past Lake Issyk-Kul. Since ancient times, at the intersection of these paths there was a caravan barn, a resting place for merchant people. Historically, it has been established that this site has long belonged to the Solto tribal clan of the Kyrgyz. There was usually a lively trade along the roads in these places. From the 7th century The place began to be called the settlement of Dzhul (Forge Fortress).
In 1825, on the territory of modern Bishkek, the Kokand fortress Pishpek (Bishpek) was founded, which was built in 1860-1862. captured by Russian troops and destroyed. In 1864, the military settlement of Pishpek settled here, through which the Semirechensky trade route (Tashkent-Semipalatinsk) soon passed.
In 1878, Bishkek acquired the status of a district city in the Semirechensk region. Small food and leather industries predominated here. In addition, residents were engaged in trade, carriage, gardening and vegetable gardening. During the revolution of 1905-1907. the city became the center of protests by the revolutionary-minded masses. In October 1917, it was created here Bolshevik organization under the leadership of A.I.
Ivanitsyn. After the establishment of Soviet power, from 1918, Bishkek was part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Since 1924, the city became the center of the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Okrug and was connected by railway with Aulie-Ata (Dzhambul). In 1926 the city was renamed Frunze. During the Soviet era, Bishkek became the main economic and cultural center of Kyrgyzstan. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Dozens of industrial enterprises that produced weapons for the front were evacuated to Bishkek.
In 1991, after the declaration of independence of the Kyrgyz Republic, the city was renamed Bishkek. According to one version, the new name comes from the mythical hero Bishkek-Batyr, who lived in this area in the 18th century. According to another, from the consonance of the words Pishpek (the first name) and Bishkek (kitchen utensils, a stick for stirring kumiss).