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Colourful Central Asian Bazaars Osh Bazaar
(Ошский Базар) The biggest, brightest and busiest of Bishkek's bazaars, this is a true taste of Central Asia. Osh Bazaar's main attraction is its colourful, noisy food hall. Dried apricots, dates, nuts, exotic salads and fruit crowd the senses with sweet, pungent aromas. Multi coloured spices are arranged into careful pyramids alongside bulging hessian
sacks of seeds, enormous vats of honey and warm barrels of milk. Porters hurry past, shouldering huge bags of flour or heaving trolleys laden with the latest deliveries from China and Uzbekistan, whilst bakers wander the
aisles with strings of nan bread slung around their necks and piled high on the trays strapped to their waists. Korean, Chinese, Kyrgyz and Russian
vendors compete for business, inviting you to try their wares and filling the high-roofed market hall with a clamour of different languages. First thing in the morning, many of these stallholders can be seen paying gypsies to waft burning herbs over their goods for luck and profitability. Next to the food hall is the Chinese bazaar, selling cheap imported household
goods. The haberdasher's bazaar, piled high with rolls of luxurious silks and printed cottons, is a good place to escape the crowds, whilst compulsive shoppers will enjoy a leisurely browse
through the clothing hall, packed with fake designer goods and good quality basics. Just off the road outside the food hall is an open-air hardware bazaar selling tools, wire, building equipment and unidentifiable car parts. Osh bazaar also has one of Bishkek's cheapest
souvenir shops - also used by local people stocking up on traditional ak kalpak hats, embroidered cushions and hand made rugs.A half hour walk from the city centre, Osh bazaar is located at the southwest corner of Kievskaya and Beishenalieva. Transport included in
Turkestan city tours. The bazaar is open every day, but busiest at weekends and at its most colourful in autumn. Some prices are displayed but bargaining remains common. Other bazaars include: Alamedin Bazaar
(Аламедин) A smaller version of Osh bazaar, Alamedin is located on the main road leading south from Bishkek to the Kazakh border at
Georgievka (close to the East Bus Station). A good place to stock up on drinks and snacks for the journey to Almaty. Moneychangers opposite the main entrance will exchange your Kyrgyz som for Kazakh tenge. Open every day. Kudai Bergen Second-Hand Car Bazaar (Авторынок
Кудайберген) An idiosyncratic Bishkek institution, packed, as its name suggests, with second hand cars, buses, minibuses and taxis. A beat-up Lada can be yours for $700 whilst a German minibus (driven from Germany via Russia and Kazakhstan) costs in the region of $2,500.
Open every day, busiest at weekends. 3km west of Osh bazaar.
Bishkek is packed with bazaars, specializing in goods as diverse as drinks, livestock, car parts and bric a brac. All provide the ideal environment for people watching and absorbing local culture. Comprehensive listings can be found in
The Basic Bishkek Book and a Bit Beyond, Babushka and Baike, 2000, and Bishkek Guide, The Times of Central Asia Publications, 2000 (available in Bishkek bookshops and many up market hotels).
Why "Bishkek"? | Getting to Bishkek and Moving On
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