Manas (epic)
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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 lines, is twenty times longer than Homer's Odyssey and one of the longest epics in the world. It is a patriotic work recounting the exploits of Manas and his descendants and followers, who fought against the Uyghurs in the ninth century to preserve Kyrgyz independence. Although the epic is mentioned as early as the fifteenth century, it was not set down in written form until 1885. Different opinions abound regarding the origin of the epic: the seventh - tenth centuries, the eleventh and twelth centuries, and the fiftenth through eighteenth centuries, but it seems likely that the earliest of these periods is the correct one.
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.
Manas is said to have been born in the Ala Too mountains in Talas oblast in northwestern Kyrgyzstan. 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.
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 (Manas. Translated by Walter May. Rarity, Bishkek, 2004. ISBN 9967-424-17-6)