Which Asian capital was known as Frunze from 1926 to 1991?

The Asian capital known as Frunze from 1926 to 1991 was Bishkek.

Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan, in the Chüy Valley near the northern foothills of the Tian Shan mountains. During the Soviet period, the city was renamed Frunze in honour of Mikhail Frunze, a Bolshevik military commander and Soviet political figure who was born in the region.

The renaming took place in 1926. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the city reverted to the name Bishkek in 1991, when Kyrgyzstan became independent. The earlier name still appears in historical references and survives in local memorials and institutions.

The question can be confusing because Ashgabat, Tashkent, and Dushanbe were also important Soviet-era Central Asian capitals, but none was officially called Frunze. Bishkek’s airport code was also historically FRU, reflecting the city’s former name, before a 2025 change to BSZ.