Kalygul BAI UULU (1785-1855) - a thinker, a representative of the philosophical movement of "zamanists," associated with Sufi thought in Central Asia. His famous words about life, the end of the world (the Day of Judgment), and the relationships of the northern Kyrgyz with the Kokand Khanate and Russia represent a treasure trove of folk wisdom. Although it is not exactly known whether he was literate himself, the sage of the Sarbagysh tribe of the Kochkor and Issyk-Kul Kyrgyz called the nomadic people to enlightenment:
“A good citizen knows his homeland.
He who knows his homeland knows knowledge.
Reading and reflecting, he understands science.
By studying various groups of people, he masters their languages…”
A good man - a virtue
Rules his people.
By governing them, this person
Will be enlightened.
Reading books and reflecting,
He will grasp knowledge.
Studying different groups of people,
He masters their languages…”
The teachings of Kalygul had a tremendous influence on Kyrgyz poets who wrote their poems and verses in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries.