Bugu Bazaar
Karakol’s small bazaar and the ashlyan-fu alley opposite: spices, bread, cheap lunch.
- Ashlyan-fu alleyacross the street
- 8:00–18:00daily
- Spices and breadfruit, dried fruit
- About 30 minbazaar and alley
- Alybakov / GagarinKarakol centre
Stops in walking order
The list on the left follows the chapters as you scroll. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
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outside1 / 5
Ashlyan-fu alley
A passage of cafés and stalls across the street from the bazaar, serving cheap ashlyan-fu, manty dumplings and salads.
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August 5, 2019outside2 / 5
Menus over the passage
Menus with photos of the dishes hang over the narrow passage; the doors of small cafés line both sides.
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August 5, 2019outside3 / 5
Covered gallery
A long glass-roofed gallery lined with shops. Bugu is calmer than the Big Bazaar: a place to choose souvenirs and hiking gear without hurry.
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August 5, 2019outside4 / 5
Ashlyan-fu
A cold, spicy soup of Dungan and Uyghur cuisine — the alley’s main dish.
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August 20, 2018outside5 / 5
Ashlyan-fu stall
Ashlyan-fu is assembled in front of you from ready bases: broth, starch ribbons and seasonings.
Four seasons
How the place looks at different times of year.
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Summer
June–AugustIn summer it is bright under the glass roof, and tourists and locals have lunch in the alley.
Where it is
- Address
- Corner of Alybakov and Gagarin, Karakol
- From the base
- ≈0.2 km as the crow flies · Karakol
- Coordinates
- 42.491° N, 78.3949° E
Opening times and etiquette
Hours and prices
- Opening hours
- 8:00–18:00daily
According to guidebooks; OpenStreetMap gives 9:00–19:00. Check on site.
Etiquette
- Lunch. Ashlyan-fu is made in front of you: ask for the meat-free version when you order.
Check on site
- Opening hours on the day on site
Contact and help
112 single emergency number
- 101 fire and rescue
- 102 police
- 103 ambulance
You can call 112 with a local SIM or without one.
Bugu Bazaar in photos
Real photos, each with the date it was taken. Tap or click to enlarge.
- August 20, 2018
- August 5, 2019
- August 5, 2019
- August 5, 2019
- August 5, 2019
Guides and ready-made itineraries
Pages that include this place in a guide or itinerary.
Nearby and where to go next
Base · KarakolKarakolA town by the mountains: old centre, accommodation and valley trips
Cultural site · ≈2.5 km as the crow fliesKarakol livestock marketKarakol Big Bazaar: spices, dried fruit, hiking clothes and ashlyan-fu.
Cultural site · ≈0.8 km as the crow fliesDungan MosqueA wooden mosque with carved dragons and colourful gables
Cultural site · ≈0.2 km as the crow fliesHoly Trinity CathedralA wooden church from 1895 with gilded domes, carvings and a garden in central Karakol.
Route · ≈0.2 km as the crow fliesCholpon-Ata, Kyrchyn and KarakolPetroglyphs, Kyrchyn valley and a night in Karakol