Postcard from Bishkek

I know that some people don’t consider Norman Rockwell as a serious artist, including, incidentally, Rockwell himself – who modestly referred to himself as many of his critics did – as an “illustrator”. He was, however,  a prolific artist, producing over 4000 paintings in his working life … but he is probably best known for […]

Today would have marked the birthday of an interesting character in Kyrgyzstan’s history: Djumabekov Asankulovovich Asankulov, who served two terms as the head of the KGB in Kyrgyzstan, (from 1967-78 and 1989-1991). The KGB, (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti – Committee for State Security), was the main security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 – when it […]

A short while ago, one of my correspondents sent me a link to an article by John Daly on the Jamestown Foundation’s website, China and Kyrgyzstan Discuss Rail Projects, and asked if I could comment … The article is about the discussions that are going on about the possibility of developing the country’s railway system […]

They say that moving house is one of the three most stressful experiences that a person can go through.  On 1st November, 1800 John Adams moved into a new home but he probably had plenty of other stressful things to worry about apart from that … he was, after all, President of the United States […]

Tomorrow is a big day for Kyrgyzstan – Independence Day.  Although I’ve already written a postcard about the public holiday, I thought that it would be appropriate to take a look at the events in Moscow that led to Kyrgyzstan breaking its bonds with the former Soviet Union at then end of August, 1991. Before I […]

  Kurmanbek Bakiev served as Kyrgyzstan’s second President, following the ouster of Askar Akaev from the post in the Tulip Revolution of 2005.   Having served in a number of official positions before this, including serving as Prime Minister, one might be forgiven for thinking that he was well equipped to fill the post.  However, […]

Askar Akaev is a controversial figure in that he rose from simple origins to the highest office in the land, (President of the Republic), only to be ousted by a public which had become dissatisfied by elements of regime, (a perceived rise in corruption, nepotism and a reluctance to relinquish the reins of power). However, […]

I am not sure which country was the first to establish diplomatic relations with the newly independent state of the Kyrgyz Republic after it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but the first foreign government to establish an embassy here in Bishkek was the United States.  That was on 2nd February, 1992. The […]

Last month I posted a postcard dedicated to the Erkindik Monument in the main Ala Too Square –Bishkek’s own Statue of Liberty. At the time, I didn’t know that it was about to be controversially thrust into the limelight by a government decision to tear down the statue and rep[lace it with another dedicated to […]

The Kyrgyz national currency, the Som was introduced on May 10th, 1993. The word “som” in Russian is the name of a fish – a catfish – but in Turkic languages such as Kyrgyz, it comes from the word meaning “pure” and was used to refer to coins made from “pure” gold from before the […]