Manas Epos

The Manas Epos is hailed as the classic centrepiece of Kyrgyz literature, the encyclopaedia of Kyrgyz culture, the touchstone of the Kyrgyz spirit.

It is the longest epic poem in the world with nearly half a million of verse lines, which makes it larger than all existing epics. For example, "Manas" is 20 times larger than "Iliad" and "Odyssey", five times larger than "Shah-name", and 2.5 times larger than the Indian epic "Makhabkharat".

There are more than 65 written versions of parts to the Manas Epos and 33 of just the first section of the trilogy.

The oral origins of the epic extend back to the mists of time when, according to the analysis of Chinese annals, the Kyrgyz nation first appeared on the steppes of Central Asia 2,200 years ago.

(extracts from the preface to the English translation of "Manas - The Kyrgyz heroic epos in four parts")

For further information:
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Manas/manas.html
http://www.apms.kg/tourism/aboutkyrg_manas_e.html