Ancient Information about the Structure and History of the Earth's Surface

If we consider events spanning a longer geological time, the ideas expressed in the epic "Manas" are confirmed by modern science. In the Paleogene (60 million years ago), where majestic mountains now rise, there was a plain. The climate in this area was hot and dry, resembling the modern Betpak-Dala desert in Kazakhstan. In the Paleogene and Cretaceous (137 million years ago), a large azure sea splashed in the Fergana Basin. In the Jurassic (195 million years ago), the territory of Kyrgyzstan was a plain, with a hot and humid climate, and subtropical plants grew there (the remnants of these plants are found today in the form of fossilized coals). In even more ancient periods—the Permian and Carboniferous—the territory was a peneplain mountainous country.

The mountains of that distant time erupted lava and volcanic ash. The further we delve into geological history, the more we are convinced that the appearance of the ancient Earth's surface continuously and significantly changed: where there was sea, land emerged, and then mountains rose, which, in turn, were eroded and turned into desert. The latter, during the transgression of the sea, was again covered with water, and so on, meaning that events kaleidoscopically alternated as they are figuratively described in "Manas".

In the epic "Kozhozhash," there are also lines describing the geological structure of the area. For example, the Neogene and Paleogene deposits of the Kochkor Basin are described as follows:

Traveling through Ala-Too,
Through Chelek and Charym,
Through the red plain of Kochkor,
Through all the mountains
To At-Bashi and Naryn.

Through the mountains of Ala-Too,
Through Chelek and Charym,
Through the red plain,
Of black-red Kochkor,
Through At-Bashi and Naryn.

Thus, it can be stated that the Kyrgyz have had fragmented knowledge about the structure and even the history of the Earth's surface since ancient times, i.e., they possessed geological knowledge in an undeveloped, rudimentary form, which would certainly be an exaggeration to refer to as geology. Partially, the observations of the ancient Kyrgyz are geomorphological, but mainly they are syncretic in nature, which is generally characteristic of ideas that precede scientific knowledge. Strictly speaking, geomorphological information cannot be called synthetic, as synthesis must be preceded by analysis, which distinguishes related phenomena, the subsequent combination of which allows for the most complete coverage, understanding, and explanation of a particular area of reality. These perceptions of the ancient Kyrgyz represent their initially undifferentiated perception of the world.

Constantly observing various manifestations of geological processes while being in a complex geological environment, the nomads discovered connections between certain rocks and the properties of the Earth's surface, in particular, with the abundance and quality of grasses, the emergence of groundwater, thermal springs, and so on. This knowledge allowed them to utilize the features of the landscapes for their practical needs.