A traditional Kyrgyz Manaschi performing part of the epic poem at a yurt camp in Karakol

The Epic of Manas is a traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people and the name of the epic's eponymous hero. The poem, with close to half a million verses, is twenty times longer than Homer's Odyssey and Ilias combined, or about twice as long as the Mahabharata.^{[citation needed]} It is a patriotic work recounting the exploits of Manas and his descendants and followers, who fought against the Uyghurs in the 9th century to preserve Kyrgyz independence. Although the epic is mentioned as early as the 15th century, it was not set down in written form until 1885. Different opinions abound regarding the origin of the epic: the 7th—10th centuries, the 11th and 12th centuries, and the 15th through 18th centuries. Image File history File linksMetadata Kyrgyz_Manaschi,_Karakol. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Kyrgyz_Manaschi,_Karakol. ... Karakol (black wrist in Kyrgyz) is a city of about 75,000, located near the eastern tip of lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan and about 150 km from the Kyrgyz-Chinese border. ... The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. ... Kirghiz (also Kyrgyz) are a Turkic ethnic group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan. ... An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, which has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery or other item. ... From the Greek cognate , in mythology and folklore, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character archetype that quintessentially embodies key traits valued by its originating culture. ... The Homère Caetani bust at the Louvre, a 2nd century Roman copy of a 2nd century BC Greek original. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation). ... ILIAS is a powerful web-based learning management system that allows users to create, edit and publish learning and teaching material in an integrated system with their normal web browsers. ... Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra The (Devanagari: ), is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . ... The Uyghur (Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر; Uighur Simplified Chinese: 维吾尔; Traditional Chinese: 維吾爾; Pinyin: Wéiwúěr; Turkish: Uygur) are a Turkic people, forming one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Peoples Republic of China. ... (8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The Magyars arrive in what is now Hungary, forcing the Serbs and Bulgars south... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... See also: 1884 in literature, other events of 1885, 1886 in literature, list of years in literature. ... ( 6th century - 7th century - 8th century - other centuries) Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Arabs subjugate Syria, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, North Africa and Central Asia to Islam. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The epic is the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature, and parts of it are often recited at Kyrgyz festivities, in a melodic chant accompanied by a three-stringed komuz. The manaschis (traditional reciters of the epic) are held in high esteem. A revered manaschi who recently visited the United Kingdom is Rysbek Jumabaev. The komuz is a string instrument used in Kyrgyz music, closely related to the other Turkic string instruments. ... Categories: Stub ...

Manas is said to have been born in the Ala Too mountains in Talas oblast in northwestern Kyrgyzstan (Talas Alatau). A mausoleum some 40 km east of the town of Talas is believed to house his remains and is a popular destination for Kyrgyz travelers. Alatau or Ala Too (from Turkic languages: motley mountain) is a generic name of a number of mountain ranges in Central Asia, characterized by interleaving areas of vegetation, scattered rocks and snows. ... Talas is a small town in northwestern Kyrgyzstan, beautifully located in a long valley between two imposing mountain ranges. ... Oblast (Czech: oblast, Slovak: oblasÅ¥, Russian and Ukrainian: , Belarusian: , Bulgarian: о́бласт) refers to a subnational entity in some countries. ... St. ...

There are more than 65 written versions of parts of the epic. An English translation by Walter May was published in 1995, in commemoration of the presumed 1000th anniversary of Manas' birth, and re-issued in two volumes in 2004. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Reference

• Manas. Translated by Walter May. Rarity, Bishkek, 2004. ISBN 9967-424-17-6

Bishkek cityscape Bishkek (Бишкек) is the capital of Kyrgyzstan. ...

See also

• Music of Kyrgyzstan
• Epic of King Gesar
• Geser

Kyrgyz music is nomadic and rural, and is closely related to Turkmen and Kazakh folk forms. ... The Epic of King Gesar is a Tibetan epic poem about King Gesar, who ruled the mythical Kingdom of Ling. ... Geser is a Mongolian religious epic that heavily inspired Genghis Khan. ...

External links

• In-depth site on Manas with translated sections of the epic
• Manass