Sartbay Kurmanaliev, a local historian and resident, shared in an interview with a Turmush correspondent that in the 1820s, Russia faced a complicated political situation, against which revolutionary movements became more active. "Emperor Alexander I, who was in St. Petersburg, strengthened colonial power in the regions, which contributed to the migration of Russians and Ukrainians across various areas," he noted.
At that time, the Kyrgyz were engaged in agriculture and grew grain crops that were used for flour production. In this region lived a man named Boobek, who created an irrigation system for watering fields. The village was named in his honor.
Around 1840-1860, a wealthy settler from Russia named Mikhail, traveling in a phaeton from Issyk-Kul, noticed the fertile lands and abundance of water near the village of Boobek. He stopped and gathered the local residents to share his plans. Mikhail stated directly: "Now this will be my village, and we will call it 'Novo-Mikhaylovka'." He installed a sign with the new name. It later turned out that he had already named one of the villages in the Issyk-Kul region — Mikhaylovka, making Boobek the second settlement named in his honor. Since then, the village has been known as Novomikhaylovka and retained this name even during the Soviet era," Kurmanaliev recounts.
After the declaration of independence of Kyrgyzstan, as Kurmanaliev noted, the documents of the village continued to use the name "Novo-Mikhaylovka." However, in the last 3-4 years, residents have actively sought to rename their settlement to Boobek. This year, the Jogorku Kenesh adopted a bill that was signed by the president.
According to the Chym-Korgon rural administration, there are currently 439 people living in the village of Boobek, among which there are 74 households. The village also has the Ak-Tilek secondary school and a water supply system that provides water from the Chu River to the Big Chui Canal.
Recently, one of the streets in Boobek was renamed: the Zhanı-Chek street now bears the name of Amangeldi Balikchiev, who died during the events on the border in the Batken region.
A monument to A. Balikchiev was erected on September 17 at the Alley of Victory.
In November 2023, the State Agency for Public Service and Local Self-Government proposed to rename some rural districts and villages in the Jalal-Abad, Naryn, Talas, Chui, and Issyk-Kul regions. In particular, it was proposed to rename the village of Novomikhaylovka in the Chym-Korgon rural district of the Kemin region to the village of Boobek. The aim of this bill is to strengthen national identity and restore historically known names.
The village of Novomikhaylovka, belonging to the Chym-Korgon rural district of the Kemin region in the Chui province, has 254 households and a population of 1,836 people. It is located 3 km from the center of the rural district, 12 km from the district center, and 84 km from the capital of the country.
On September 25, the deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh approved the renaming of several settlements.
