Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Across Lenina from the southeast corner
of the bazaar, tree-shaded
Kafe¨Elnura
(Leni-
na; tea/kebabs from 10/45som, mains 90-250som;
h
24hr)
is a great summer chaikhana. Oppo-
site Hotel Mölmöl,
Shirin¨Foods
(Lenina 19;
burger/pide/pizza 60/90/200som;
h
9am-10pm;
W
)
offers an air-conditioned 'fast' food ex-
perience that's almost unique for the region,
though the fresh-baked pide (Turkish piz-
zas) are far better than their microwaved
burgers.
site reputedly date back 2000 years and the
town was a Karakhanid capital a millenni-
um ago. However, the only genuinely histor-
ic buildings today are an 11th-century brick
minaret and a neighbouring three-in-one
12th-century mausoleum-complex in shades
of red-brown clay. The monuments, 600m
east of the bazaar, aren't likely to hold your
attention for long, but coming here can be
a good way to meet local students wanting
to practice their English. Stories about their
families' experience of Özgön's murderous
1990 inter-ethnic violence can be shocking.
Osh-Jalal-Abad marshrutkas pick up/
drop off passengers near the bazaar. For
Özgön-specific services there's a minibus
station tucked away one block further east,
then north.
8
Getting¨There¨&¨Around
AIR
AC Kyrgyzstan lies six times a week to/from
Bishkek (2500som to 3500som). Buy tickets
at the airport or
Sputnik Agency
(
%
507 06;
Lenina 17). Marshrutkas 1 and 5 from the centre
go to the airport via the bus station. A taxi to the
airport costs 50som to 80som.
BUS & SHARED TAXI
Minibuses use the main bus station 3km west
(by marshrutka 110). Shared taxis departing
from various points around the bazaar charge
around double.
Osh
(120som, 1¾ hours) Twice hourly mini-
bus until 6pm via
Özgön
(Uzgen, 60som, 50
minutes) where you might consider a half-hour
stop to explore the appealing bazaar and to see
a trio of conjoined 12th-century brick mausolea
just off the main drag.
Bazaar Korgon
(30som, 40 minutes) For
Arslanbob. Take Maci- or Kochkor Ata-bound
minibuses (three per hour).
Kazarman
In summer, when the road is open,
cars to Kazarman congregate in the north-
eastern corner of the yard behind the Manas
Avtobeket. To find it from the bazaar, walk up
Chekhov one block, right on Babkina then right
again through the covered toll gateway. The
Kazarman cars lurk immediately to the left but
hidden behind a pile of wrecked old kiosks.
Bishkek
Shared taxis (typically 1100som, nine
hours) depart regularly from the bus station.
Minibus 110 runs along Lenina from the bazaar
to the bus station and beyond (8som).
Osh
ОШ
%
3222 / POP 300,000
With a remarkable five-headed crag leaping
out of the very town centre, Kyrgyzstan's
second city certainly has a highly distinctive
visual focus. While there's little of architec-
tural merit to show for 3000 years of history,
Osh's sprawling bazaar and hospitable citi-
zens provide an atmosphere that is far more
archetypically Central Asian than you will
find in Bishkek.
For most travellers Osh is predominantly
a launch or arrival point for buses to/from
China, for transiting from Uzbekistan's
Fergana Valley, or for accessing Tajikistan's
memorable Pamir Highway. Inexpensive
international flights (via Turkey and Dubai)
can also make it a savvy gateway to Central
Asia.
History
Locals maintain that 'Osh is older than
Rome'. Legends credit all sorts of people
with its founding, from King Solomon (Su-
leyman) to Alexander the Great. Certainly
it must have been a major hub on the Silk
Road from its earliest days. The Mongols
smashed it in the 13th century, but in the
following centuries it bounced back, more
prosperous than ever. In 1496, Babur, later
the founder of the Mughal-Indian dynasty,
passed through as a teenager from his na-
tive Fergana and commissioned the modest
prayer-room on top of Suleiman Too. Osh
was absorbed into the Kokand Khanate in
1762 and later fell to Russian forces.
Özgön
Өзгөн
%
3233 / POP 49,000
While its sights don't add up to much,
Özgön (Uzgen) makes a good brief stop if
you're driving the main road to/from Osh.
The busy bazaar has an earthy, untouristed
charm and is fronted by a pair of majolica-
pattern tiled towers which might be mid-
20th-century but still dream Silk Road
dreams. Citadels on this raised riverbank
