Unaccompanied half- million-line Kyrgyz verse epic of Manas, Semetey, and Seytek chanted from memory by manaschi bards.
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The tradition & historical record
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Recited without musical accompaniment in rhythmic alliterative seven- and eight-syllable verse accompanied by sweeping upper-body gestures, the Manas trilogy preserves Kyrgyz nomadic history, cosmology, geography, and customary law. 1
Master manaschis such as Sayakbay Karalaev recorded versions exceeding five hundred thousand verse lines. Inscribed by UNESCO in 2013. 1
