Myths and legends of Kyrgyzstan

A legend about Bishkek

Once upon a time there was khan Kurmanbek in the valley between Alamedin and Ala-Archa rivers.
Once he went home from hunting in the surroundings of his friends (djigdits) and heard some noise and cry of a woman: �Bishkek! Where did you go, bishkek?! (�bishkek�- a spoon for fluffing of a sour horse milk - kymyz). At the same time a cry of a newborn baby appeared from a nearby yurta. Inclining over a saddle, Kurmanbek Khan asked: why are you shouting, woman? Why are you looking for something which can respond itself? Can you hear, Bishkek is giving his voice.
There was a happily smiling father of the newborn child by the yurta, poor and lonely, next to kymyz sabaa (leather dishes for kymyz) - the cleanest, favorite equipment made from archa (fir tree) for making needed condition kymyz.
Kurmanbek khan gave him his whip as a present. Without knowing how to thank the khan, the father told:
- Let`s the name of my some be �Bishkek� and your whip bring him a luck!�
The small baby was named as Bishkek at first hand of the khan.
Since a small age Bishkek stood out with an excellent health, got first prize in fighting and war forays. Some enemies didn`t know where should they had waited Bishkek from, coz his tactic was always changed. Bishkek grew up very quickly and his prowess grew also with him. The enemies were afraid of him and left the tribe of Bishkek and his castle. However, being involved in quarrel with a local nobility, he left motherland and his village Maichorka ansdsettled down in place Chunchurak, at the upper reaches of Alamedin river and then move to the eminence in the middle flow of this river, where was a hidden way of the famous Silk Road.
Bishkek, stuck to ancient proverb �While marriage don`t take not only a woman as a wife but take also her good and wealthy relatives� and with a goal of uniting different kyrgyz tribes he got married to a daughter of a famous man in Talas valley and then got children: Baimurat, Manakozu, Manapbai, Iryskul.
Bishkek built a bazaar on the cross-roads of 9 roads and if it was asked from early customs:
- Where are you going to?
They usually got answer:
- To Bishkek.
In the afternoon if people are asked:
- Where are going from?
The customers usually answered:
- From Bishkek.
So this place got the name of fearless man-Bishkek and turned into a big city. When Bishkek died his relatives buried him with big kudos on the eminence according to customs and built gumbez. Before far way and while solving difficult decisions people assembled next to the gumbez and had an advice.

Kyrgyzstan travel