Molodaya Gvardia

Molodaya Gvardia, meaning 'Young Guard' (and now renamed Mahatma Gandhi), is a tree-lined boulevard dedicated to the young Soviet soldiers of the past. The section just off Chui is known as Hero's Lane, for fighters who died in the 1920s, 1930s and World War II. Busts of individuals still stand but their names have, sadly, been scratched off.

Once the haunt of Bishkek's courting couples, Molodaya Gvardia is today known locally as Kulbazaar (slave market) because of the groups of men who stand around in the hope of being offered seasonal work. Most of them are emigrants from the south and central regions of Kyrgyzstan-first generation city-dwellers who live in large housing blocks on the edges of Bishkek, which receive the barest minimum of public utilities.