"It was a long time ago, and now the eyewitnesses have gone..." It is with these words that the Manashi begin their songs telling of the exploits of Manas Legendary hero of the Kyrgyz, and of a world long gone.

Traditional central Asian literature took the form of songs, poems and stories performed by itinerant minstrels (akyns in Kyrgyz). The Kyrgyz have an entire cycle of such legends, 20 times longer than The Odyssey, about a hero called Manas. Akyns who can recite from these are called manaschi. There have been a number of very famous manaschi - including Bokanbaeva, Toktogul and Togolok Moldo - all of whom have streets named after them in the capital, Bishkek.

The complete epos has three parts - Manas, Semetei (about his son) and Seitek (his grandson). As in most oral traditions nothing was written down for many years and manaschi would often improvise. The first written account (in Russian) recording some fragments of the epos were provided by the Kazakh Chokan Valikhanov in 1858. The first full written version appeared only in the 1920's. It has now been translated into many languages-reflecting in part the number of nationalities that were settled here in Kyrgyzstan during the soviet period - and several novels and books for children based on the poem have also been written.

Manas was a Khan (lord or chieftain) of the Kyrgyz, reputedly born in the Talas region of Northern Kyrgyzstan. The narrative of the epos revolves around his exploits in trying to carve out a homeland for his people and fighting off neighboring hordes; consolidating his forces; his marriage to the fair and wise Kanykei - the daughter of a Samarkand khan and the future mother of his only son, Semetei; the burial feast for the dead chief Koketey (whose mausoleum is supposed to beat Koshoi-Kogon - near Nary n) where the opposing forces of the heroes meet each other for the first time; the great campaign victory and mortal wounding of Manas, which is followed by a civil war; the fight for the throne; the expulsion of Kanykeiand young Semetei and finally the destruction of everything Manas' had created and achieved. The first written testimony of the Kyrgyz people appears in a Chinese document dated around 200BC. Only in the 800's did the Kyrgyz unite into a powerful nation being able to muster a fighting force of some 80000 men - this is the period in which the epos of Manas takes place.

UNESCO declared 1995 the Year of Manas, and the government celebrated "1000 years of the Manas Epos". A festival was held culminating in a grand event just outside Talas, 15 km east of the town in the picturesque valley of Kirnkol, where a Mausoleum indicates the final resting place of the hero Manas. The Mausoleum or gumbez to the locals is a pilgrim site where Muslims from near and far worshipall yearround. For the longest time the gumbez was believed to hold the remains of Kanizyak-Khatun, the daughter of Chagatar Emir of Abakun. In 1969, however, during the mausoleum's renovation, the bones of a very tall man, over 2 meters tall, were excavated and some claim these to be the remains of Manas. In olden days it was customary to destroy all traces of the enemy and in order to prevent this, according to the epos, Kanykei and Mana's friend and counsellor Bakai had deliberately misled people into believing that it was the grave of a young girl. Through this ruse, Mana's remains were preserved untouched.

The mausoleum was in all probability built in 1343 ad, and is typical of the type of mausoleum built throughout Central Asia for centuries. It measures 4.38m by 4.48m. Built of baked bricks and clay mortar and capped by a 16-sided pyramid. The entrance arch is framed with pillars and decorated with terracotta tiles. There are carved geometric patterns such as 8 pointed stars and circles. On the same grounds as the gumbez you find the newly constructed Manas Museum featuring exhibits such as illustrations and artefacts relating to the epos and its hero.

There is, however, yet a different version of what happened after Mana's death, for residents of the Bat ken region in Southern Kyrgyzstan claim that his body lies in the Kara-Too district. The story goes that Kanykeiand Bakai found a hiding place for the body ahead of time in the remote and difficult to access Jergetal Mountains, the only path to which crosses over the Batken Pass. Kanykei, being a princess from a Samarkand khan would have been familiar with that particular countryside. Outside the Philharmonia in Bishkek is a Statue of Manas, on his magical horse Ak-kula, slaying a dragon. Below him are statues of his wife Kanykei and of the wise man and counsellor, Bakai. Around the square carved in red granite are busts of several 20th century manaschi.

Reading material
1995 2 Volumes Far Flung Press THE EPIC VERSION by Walter May with translation by David Prior. Otto Harrassovitz Publications Wiesbaden Germany THE MANAS OF WILHELM RADLOFF Translated & revised by Arthur T. Hatto available in bookstores in Bishkek