The story
The Ala-Too International University was established in 1996 as the International Atatürk-Alatoo University by the Sebat Educational Foundation, which was affiliated with the Gülen movement inspired by the teachings of Fethullah Gülen.
Following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, which the Turkish government attributed to the Gülen movement, the administration of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Kyrgyzstan to close educational institutions affiliated with the movement. The Kyrgyz government, however, declined to do so. In February 2017, the Turkish government announced that diplomas issued by the Ala-Too International University would no longer be recognized in Turkey.
The university was subsequently renamed from the International Atatürk-Alatoo University to Ala-Too International University. The Sebat Educational Foundation, which operates the university and 35 other educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, was also renamed the Sapat Educational Foundation (with sapat meaning "quality" in Kyrgyz).
In 2026, the university celebrated its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, it introduced a new visual identity, including a redesigned logo.
From Wikipedia’s article on Ala-Too International University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3