Postcard from Bishkek

Some years ago I went on a trip and one of the places where stayed was in a homestay.  On the television that particular evening there happened be a performance by one of the leading manaschi … and our hostess, shamefacedly lowered her voice and almost whispering told me a secret … “I don’t really […]

Bearing in mind that there are differences between the various versions of the epic … it is the world’s longest epic with over half a million lines … it is said to take three months, four hours a day, to recite the whole epic from start to finish … it took several years for the […]

I am sure that most people in the world have heard about the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World“, although not everyone could name them all.   In fact, most of them no longer exist with only  The Great Pyramid at Giza still surviving. There has been some controversy over the fact that the list […]

If the story of Manas is central to Kyrgyz traditional culture and character, psychology and spirit – The Manaschi holds a special place of respect in Kyrgyz Culture. The manaschi, (traditionally they are always men – although some women have taken to narrating the story as well), alternates between a rapid declamatory style when narrating […]

“It was a long time ago, and now the eyewitnesses have gone …” With these words the Manaschi 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 […]