Manas (epic) - Definition and Overview

Manas is an epic poem of the Kyrgyz people and the name of the epic's eponymous hero. The poem, which is twenty times longer than Homer's Odyssey, tells the patriotic tale of Manas and his descendants, who fight against the Uighurs in the ninth century. Although the epic is mentioned as early as the fifteenth century, it was not written down until 1885.

Manas is said to have been born in the Ala Too mountains in Talas oblast in northwestern Kyrgyzstan, and a mausoleum some 60 km east of Talas town is believed to house his mortal remains.

A revered manaschi (reciter of the poem) who recently visited England is Rysbek Jumabaev.

See also

• Music of Kyrgyzstan