In 1825, the Khanate of Kokand established the fortress of "Pishpek" to control local caravan routes and to collect tribute from Kyrgyz tribes. On 4 September 1860, with the approval of the Kyrgyz, Russian forces led by Colonel  destroyed the fortress. In 1868, a Russian settlement was established on the site of the fortress under its original name, "Pishpek." It lay within the General Governorship of Russian Turkestan and its Semirechye Oblast.