The foundation of Kyrgyz written literature was the rich oral folk creativity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first works of Kyrgyz akyns and writers continued the traditions of folklore in both form and content. Before the establishment of national writing and printing, gifted Kyrgyz poets and writers wrote and published their works in Kazakh and Tatar languages.
The work of Mahmud Kashgari 'Divan Lugat At-Turk' ('Dictionary of Turkic Dialects') is not just a dictionary in the modern sense of the word. This work concentrates the scientific achievements of philology, linguistics, history, geography, philosophy, and the problems of natural sciences. His lifetime fell in the 11th century. The scholar was originally from the southern shore of Issyk-Kul (Barskhan). At some point in his life, he moved from Barskhan to Kashgar and created
Little is known about Jusup Balasagyn, the author of the greatest work — the poem “Blessed Knowledge”, or “The Science of State Governance.” He was born around 1010-1016 (1018) in the capital of the medieval Karakhanid state — the city of Balasagyn. He was a highly educated man of his time — possessing profound knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, history, philosophy, aesthetics, ethics, literature, Arabic and Iranian-Tajik poetry, Turkic folklore, and the Persian language. He
The monumental epic of the Kyrgyz people “Manas” is rightly recognized as an encyclopedia of the philosophical, ethical, and artistic views of many generations of the Kyrgyz people. In terms of its volume, “Manas” has no equal among the world-renowned epic tales. The Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR has collected recordings of more than 40 versions of this monumental trilogy.