"Don't you know him? It is Manas, our national hero. He has an epic poem longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together. Like 20 times more!” Similar explanations are often heard next to the statue of a warrior on horseback in the central Ala-Too square in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. At the foot of the monument, the members of the honor guard honor the hero by executing the changing of the guard at the hour on the hour with a martial step.
It is virtually impossible to visit that Central Asian country without bumping into the famous character. In fact, the very Bishkek international airport where most tourists land is named after Manas. Avenues, squares, parks, sculptures, paintings, Manas University, a military base... even an asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter also pay tribute to him. It was the discoverer of it, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh, who named it after the Kyrgyz hero in 1979.
And one of the greatest feats of this fictitious character seems to be – judging by what his compatriots say about him – that of starring in a saga much more extensive than the two great works of Homer. His poem consists of about half a million verses. A story transmitted by word of mouth for centuries, which was not partially recorded until the end of the 18th century in a Persian manuscript.
There are narrators specialized in the poem of Manas. They are the manaschis, who perform at parties and competitions. Their ability is revealed to them in dreams. Those who are able to memorize the three episodes of the saga receive the title of great manaschis and enjoy enormous prestige. Among the greats of the last century are Rysbek Jumabayev, who was invited to showcase his talent in cities like New York and London; Doolot Sydykov, who in 2021 recited for 111 hours over five days in Moscow; and Sayakbay Karalaev, a familiar face to visitors to Kyrgyzstan as he appears on the 500 som bill, the local currency. A recording of Karalaev is preserved that allows us to appreciate his style.
The recitation is done on a melodic cadence, usually without musical accompaniment. Each manaschi develops its own style in terms of modulations, gestures and rhythm. It also introduces small variations in the story both from the poetic point of view and philosophical content.
Of course, the narrators are almost always men. That is why the version that the pop singer Gulzada Ryskulova made in 2017 about the history of Manas was surprising – and was a source of controversy. This is the video clip of her.
Very briefly, it is presumed that Manas was born in the year 995 (since his millennium was celebrated in 1995) in the Yenisei Khanate (a large territory ruled by a khan, or Tatar chief, which included parts of present-day China, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). He was a strong, brave and generous boy who led the victory over the Oirats, nomadic invaders of Mongolian origin. After that feat, he managed to reunite his people and was proclaimed khan.
Manas led countless battles against enemies of Turkic and Chinese origin, leading his people to their ancestral lands: the highlands of modern Kyrgyzstan. In fact, his mausoleum is located on the Ala-Too mountain, about 40 kilometers east of the city of Talas. However, the inscriptions do not include his name but that of the daughter of an emir. According to legend, she was a ploy by the hero's widow to disorient enemies and grave robbers.
Today the mausoleum is the center of a historical park dedicated to Manas, which includes a museum about him.
The saga consists of three episodes: the one dedicated to Manas himself, the one starring his son Semetei, and the one about his grandson Seitek. Although the central theme is the battles against his many enemies, the poem also deals with the values, traditions, customs and daily life of the Kyrgyz people. From this point of view, it has an anthropological interest.
In addition, Manas's poem has been a source of identity and national cohesion. For this reason the Soviet authorities were reluctant to publish it. Finally, with the rise to power of Mikhail Gorbachev and his glasnost (openness policy) in 1985, the legend of the warrior regained prominence. That same year a statue of the hero was erected, which today presides over Ala-Too Square in the center of Bishkek.
