Epic of Manas

The Epic of Manas is a traditional epic poem central to the Kyrgyz people of Central Asia. While written versions from the 19th century describe events from the 8th century, Kyrgyz tradition considers the poem far older. Its plot follows the Kyrgyz people’s interactions with neighboring groups, mirroring the region’s history. In 1995, the Kyrgyz government celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the epic’s documentation. The poem evolved over centuries, kept alive by oral performers known as manaschy. The earliest written mention of the hero Manas and his Oirat enemy Joloy appears in a Persian manuscript from 1792.

Recognized as the longest historical epic poem, it holds a Guinness World Record. One version contains roughly 500,000 lines (about 2 to 2.5 million words), making it about 20 times longer than Homer’s *Odyssey* and *Iliad* combined, and 2.5 to 3 times longer than the *Mahabharata*. The most famous version, by the bard Sayakbay Karalaev, exceeds 2 million words, still surpassing the *Mahabharata*’s 1.8 million.

The epic traces eight generations of heroes: Manas, Semetey, Seytek, Kenenim, Seyit, Asylbacha-Bekbacha, Sombilek, and Chigitey. The first three are the most frequently recorded and widely known in Kyrgyzstan.

The story begins with destruction caused by an Oirat invasion. Jakyp, a wealthy herder, has no heir until his prayers are answered. On the day his son is born, Jakyp dedicates a colt, Toruchaar, born the same day, to the boy’s service. The son, Manas, is unusually strong, mischievous, and generous. The Oirat learn of him and try to capture him, but fail. Manas rallies his people and is elected khan. He expands his territory, including the Uyghurs of Raviganjn in southern Jungaria. One defeated Uyghur ruler gives his daughter to Manas in marriage. With Manas’s help, the Kyrgyz return from the Altai mountains to their ancestral lands in modern-day Kyrgyzstan. Manas campaigns with forty companions, defeats the Afghans, who then ally with him, and marries the daughter of the ruler of Bukhara. The epic continues in varied forms, depending on the manaschy.

Scholars debate the epic’s age, as it was transmitted orally. Since the early 20th century, historians have doubted the claimed age, noting that events reflect the 16th and 17th centuries. Arthur Thomas Hatto argued that Manas was “compiled to glorify the Sufi sheikhs of Shirkent and Kasan” and is likely an 18th-century interpolation. Changes occurred in delivery and text, especially in Manas’s tribal background: in 19th-century versions, he leads the Nogais; after 1920, he is a Kyrgyz leader. Nation-building efforts and printed variants have also shaped the epic’s performance and content. Attempts to link modern Kyrgyz to the Yenisei Kirghiz (claimed as ancestors) lack evidence; Kazakh ethnographer Shokan Walikhanov found no folk-memory of this during his 19th-century research.

Manas is central to Kyrgyz literature, often recited at festivities by manaschy, who chant melodically without instruments. Narrators who know all three main episodes (Manas, Semetey, Seytek) may become Great Manaschy. Notable 20th-century performers include Sagymbai Orozbak uulu, Sayakbay Karalaev, Shaabai Azizov, Kaba Atabekov, Seidene Moldokova, Eshmat Mambetjusup, Jusubakun Apay, and Jusup Mamay. Contemporary manaschy include Rysbek Jumabayev (who performed at the British Library), Urkash Mambetaliev (of the Bishkek Philharmonic), Talantaaly Bakchiev (who combines recitation with study), and Doolot Sydykov (known for a 111-hour recitation over five days). Adil Jumaturdu published a comparative study of performers. Over 65 written versions exist. Arthur Thomas Hatto produced scholarly editions with English translations of 19th-century recordings by Shokan Valikhanov and Vasily Radlov. Kyrgyz scholar Kambaraly Botoyarov researched an Arabic-script Kyrgyz text recorded by a Kazakh scribe for Walikhanov. An English translation of Sagymbai Orozbakov’s version by Walter May was published in 1995 for the commemoration.