Did the ancient Kyrgyz have ideas about the movement and structure of the Earth's surface? Did they have the beginnings of geological knowledge? Apparently, the answer to this question is affirmative, as a person living in mountainous areas, observing the phenomena of the surrounding environment and contemplating natural processes, must have undoubtedly paid attention to changes in the land—landslides, subsidence, and uplift of certain areas of its surface. Like other pre-scientific knowledge, the understanding of the Earth's structure enriched the spiritual world of the ancient Kyrgyz. This is confirmed by oral folk creativity (fairy tales, legends, myths, epics, etc.).
Let us turn to the epic "Manas," about which the outstanding Kazakh scholar Chokan Valikhanov wrote in the mid-19th century: "Manas is an encyclopedic collection of all Kyrgyz myths, fairy tales, and legends, brought together at one time and grouped around one figure—the hero Manas... The way of life, customs, morals, geography, geology, religious and medical knowledge of the Kyrgyz, and their international relations found expression in this vast epic." "The epic is highly substantive... it must be an objective depiction of the world, justified and realized for its necessity..." The epic clearly reflects the thoughts of the Kyrgyz (from ancient times) about various natural phenomena occurring on the Earth's surface:
Many years have passed.
The sea, having dried up, became a desert.
The plains turned into high mountain pastures.
The mountain peaks propped up the sky.
Where there were rocks, swamps formed.
Unheard of by rumor, unseen by sight
People settled in the wild deserts.
A person who does not know the basics of geology might take the above lines for one of the many exaggerations, hyperboles of the manaschi. However, this is not the case. The epic speaks of centuries-old observations of the Kyrgyz regarding changes in the Earth's surface, about rocks, and probably about the fossilized remains of animals and plants. The verses tell us a lot. Firstly, that from some "those times," an innumerable number of years have passed, countless nights, as many days as there are grains of sand in the dunes, and it is very important to note this, to pay special attention to it. It is known that in pre-scientific religious beliefs of many peoples of the West, it was believed that a relatively short period of time has passed since the creation of the world (in the Bible, for example, a specific time frame is allocated for the creation of the world—the year 4004 BC is considered its beginning). In the epic "Manas," however, it speaks of an immeasurably greater time period, illustrated by historical events occurring "during this time"—numerous changes of heroes, khans, and entire peoples that disappeared from the face of the Earth, leaving only names behind. The epic also speaks of significant changes in the Earth's surface, the geographical situation, i.e., it actually refers to significant geological events. Thus, there are neither exaggerations nor hyperbole in the above verses.
In another excerpt from the epic, the thought of the ancient Kyrgyz is reflected that the Earth's surface is subject to constant change over time and space; nothing is eternal, everything flows and changes, nothing in nature remains motionless. This eternal movement is also conveyed in the rhythmic structure of the epic:
How many seas have disappeared...
In fifty years, the people renew,
In a hundred years—the Earth.
At the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, divers still find fragments of walls, pots, bricks, and water pipes. These objects indicate that there was once a city in this place, but scientific research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
According to vertical electrical sounding (VES) data, along the northern fault in the Tokoil River area, the Paleozoic foundation of the Aigyrjol block (Susamyr valley) has subsided relative to the northern block by more than 500 m. The fault itself is also clearly visible here. The recent uplift of the southern block has caused the Tokoil River to abandon its former course and upper Quaternary meridional valley, unable to overcome the natural "dam" (uplift) that arose in its path, and turned at a right angle to the west, along the fault. In several places, cases of displacement along the mentioned fault of the ancient irrigation systems, dating back to the 17th century, have been recorded. The amount of displacement of the irrigation ditches is 3-5 m, with the lower parts being raised, not the upper ones; for this reason, the ditches are unsuitable for irrigation. To restore them, the bottom of the lower part of the ditches needs to be raised by at least 4-6 m.
Other interesting data about the recent uplift of the Aigyrjol block along the fault also come from observations of the ancient irrigation systems. On the left bank of the Korumdu River, an ancient ditch has been brought to the surface of the early upper Quaternary terrace of the Aigyrjol block (this is clearly visible in the interfluve of Korumdu and Archaly), from which water was taken from the Korumdu River. Currently, the bed of the Korumdu River is located 20 m below the bed of the ancient ditch. This indicates that subsidence has occurred along the fault.
There are fascinating data on modern movements of the Earth's surface in the area of the village of Chayek (Jumgal district), where the lower part of the ditch, which was used more than 50 years ago, has been raised by 1.5 m along a hidden fault. The raised block is located in the northern wing of the folded structure. A similar uplift of the lower part of the ditch, but without breaking the continuity of the surface, is observed in two places on the right slope of the Mintake River valley. The intense uplift of the lower parts of the ditches forces people to raise the beds of the upper parts more frequently (every 3-5 years) to maintain the normal operation of the irrigation system throughout the area affected by the uplift process. Due to the uplift, many previously used land plots are currently not even cultivated.
In our days, movement along the faults was observed during the Sary-Kamysh earthquake in the Issyk-Kul basin in the spring of 1970. This resulted in cracks along which significant displacements of the Earth's surface occurred, leading to catastrophic destruction.