Ala Too Square

Ala-Too Square is the main square of Kyrgyzstan, located in the center of Bishkek. The name Ala-Too translates from Kyrgyz as "variegated mountains" and refers to the mountain range of the same name, where the mountains are "peggy" in color: partly white due to snow, partly dark in snowless areas. Ala-Too is a popular place for festivals, celebrations and holidays. Ala-Too is usually decorated with lights for Independence Day (August 31) and New Year (here the lights are complemented by a Christmas tree with traditional Kyrgyz patterns).

On the north side of the square is the State Historical Museum, behind which is the Oak Park. A statue of Manas now stands on a large pedestal, which used to be occupied by a monument to Lenin. The old monument to Lenin was moved and is now located behind the museum, in the Old Square. Next to Manas you can see the official flagpole of the Kyrgyz Republic, and a little farther away is the monument to those who died in 2002 and 2010. On the south side of Ala-Too Square there is a monument to Chingiz Aitmatov.