Jusup Mamai, the Great Narrator of the Epic "Manas"
He was born on May 4, 1918, in the village of Merkech, Ak-Chiy District, Kyzyl-Suu Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
At the age of seven, he learned to read and write. He recounted the epic "Manas" up to the eighth generation. According to him, the epic consists of 500,000 lines.
The version of the epic "Manas" performed by Jusup Mamai was published in China in Arabic. Additionally, the epics "Toshduk," "Mamaké Shopok," "Kobon," and "Toltoi" were also published.
The work of the great manaschy was duly recognized by the state. Jusup Mamai is a Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic, a People's Artist of Kyrgyzstan, and was awarded the Order of "Manas" of the I degree.
A bust of manaschy Jusup Mamai was installed in Bishkek at the sculptural and architectural complex "Manas" near the Kyrgyz National Philharmonic named after T. Satylganov. The author is the sculptor, People's Artist Turgunbay Sadykov.
Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic