Epic of Manas

The Manas epic is about the struggle of the mythical Kyrgyz folk hero Manas and his companions and descendants in the 9th century against the Uyghur and is the most important work of classical Kyrgyz literature.

The factory covers nearly 500,000 verses, making it twenty times as long as Homer's Odyssey and Iliad together. Over many generations orally by Manaschis, highly regarded, delivered to the Turkish Asiklar similar folk singers in melodic speech song, the epic was in 1885 set down in writing. About its origin, there are different views: Some literary scholars go from 6 to from the 10th century, others of 11 and 12, and still others only from the 15th to the 18th century.

Today there which at least 65 different printed versions of the Work or parts thereof. A new translation of the entire work into English by Walter May 1995, for allegedly thousandth anniversary of the birth of Manas, published and reprinted in 2004 in two volumes.

Parts of the epic are now popular and frequently recited on festive occasions by Manaschis, usually accompanied by one or more Komuz, a three-stringed plucked lute, which is handled extremely virtuoso of the musicians.

The hero Manas is supposed to be born in the Ala-Too mountains in Talas region in the northwest of Kyrgyzstan. A mausoleum a few kilometers east of the town of Talas to recover his remains and is a popular excursion and hard place where since 1995 impressive Kyrgyz Equestrian Games are listed in the summer. However, it said in a front label that the mausoleum "... the most glorious of women Kenizek - Khatun, the daughter of the Emir Abuka " is dedicated. According to legend Kanikey, the widow of Manas, who ordered this inscription to lead her husband's enemies astray and prevent grave desecration. The building, known as " Manastin Khumbuzu " or " The Ghumbez of Manas", was probably built in 1334. Nearby is a museum that is dedicated to Manas and his legend.

Together with Semetey and Seytek Manas was recorded as " Kirgische epic trilogy " in 2013 the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.