The First Kyrgyz Enlighteners

After Kyrgyzstan joined Russia, conditions arose for the development of education, enlightenment, and scientific research in the region. A significant role in the enlightenment of the people belonged to the first Kyrgyz enlighteners — Osmonaly Sydyk uulu, Belek Soltonoev, Ishenaly Arabayev, Ibraim Abdyrahmanov, and others.

Osmonaly Sydyk uulu was the first Kyrgyz historian. He was born in the Kochkor Valley, in the family of a prominent manap. He received his first education from a religious teacher — a moldo. In 1911, he graduated from a higher spiritual madrasa (religious educational institution) in the city of Bukhara. After learning Russian, Osmonaly read books by Russian authors, traveled to many places, and communicated with Uzbek, Tatar, and Kazakh enlighteners. He used his knowledge for the enlightenment of the people. From 1920 to 1928, Osmonaly Sydyk uulu taught in schools in Pishpek and made a significant contribution to the eradication of illiteracy among the Kyrgyz.

Osmonaly dedicated much effort and time to studying the history of Kyrgyzstan. In 1913, his book “A Brief History of the Kyrgyz” was published in Ufa, followed by “The History of the Kyrgyz Steppe” the next year. He stated that historical science is of great importance for understanding not only the past but also the present, in order to learn from the experiences of the past.



One of the first Kyrgyz historians, Belek Soltonoev, was born in Chon-Kemin. He mastered writing in early childhood. He studied in the cities of Karakol and Pishpek. As early as the 1890s, Belek, interested in the history of the Kyrgyz, began collecting legends and traditions about their origins. He studied the works of Muslim and Russian historians.

In 1916, Belek Soltonoev was elected to the position of volost leader in the volost of the famous biya Atake. In the tragic year of 1916, he fled to China. After returning in 1917, he fought for the establishment of Soviet power in Kyrgyzstan and worked in scientific institutions.

B. Soltonoev wrote the book “The History of the Red Kyrgyz,” which contains information about the epic “Manas,” the storytellers of the epic — manaschi, the medieval scholar Mahmud Kashgari, and outstanding figures such as Tolubai synchy (a connoisseur), Asan Kaygy (“the compassionate,” a humanist), the seer Kaligul, and poets Arstanbek and Moldokylych. He also authored artistic works — stories and poems.

Ishenaly Arabayev was born in the village of Kun-Batysh in the Kochkor region. He received his primary education from a religious servant — a moldo. From 1900 to 1910, he worked as a teacher. He then studied for three years in the cities of Orenburg, Ufa, and Kazan. I. Arabayev was one of the most educated people of his time. He is the author of the first Kyrgyz primer — “Alippe,” published in 1911 in Ufa. He wrote textbooks for schools on writing and arithmetic, geography, and translated several books from Russian into Kyrgyz.

Ishenaly Arabayev made a significant contribution to the collection of folklore and monuments of folk creativity. This man, who did so much for the Kyrgyz people, was arrested during the years of repression based on a false denunciation and executed. He was later rehabilitated. Today, one of the higher educational institutions in the capital of Kyrgyzstan bears the name of Ishenaly Arabayev.

Ibraim Abdyrahmanov was born in the village of Chyrak on Issyk-Kul. He studied with a village moldo and then graduated from a seven-year Tatar school in Karakol. From childhood, he had an excellent memory and a thirst for knowledge. While studying in school, he memorized some works of Russian writers — A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, L. Tolstoy, I. Krylov. For more than 11 years, I. Abdyrahmanov taught children in Jety-Oguz. In 1916, he moved to At-Bashi and dedicated himself again to education. I. Abdyrahmanov devoted much effort to searching for and collecting variants of the epic “Manas.” He accomplished a truly titanic task — recording the complete text of the epic.



Education. The Kyrgyz taught their children in spiritual (religious) schools, where they mainly memorized the Quran and listened to teachings about the rules of conduct for devout Muslims. With the annexation of Kyrgyzstan to Russia, changes occurred in the education system. The authorities needed personnel from the local population to work in various sectors such as agriculture, medicine, and communications, who knew the Russian language and possessed basic literacy, arithmetic, and geography skills. This necessity contributed to the opening of so-called Russian-native schools. Here, children studied history, arithmetic, natural sciences, Russian language, and literature. Although there were few such schools and mainly Russian children and children of Kyrgyz bai and manap studied there, they played a progressive role in the development of the cultural life of the Kyrgyz people during that period.

Scientific Study of Kyrgyzstan. The study of the geographical and natural conditions of the region was initiated by the tsarist government even before the annexation of Kyrgyzstan to Russia. Setting the goal of mastering new territories, the authorities wanted to obtain detailed information about the population, the characteristics of the territory, the natural resources of the region, etc. For this purpose, a number of expeditions were sent to Kyrgyzstan, which collected information of interest to the military departments. Often, such expeditions included scientists, travelers, and artists. They studied the natural resources, history of Kyrgyzstan, and the culture of the people. This work continued even after Kyrgyzstan was subordinated.

Chokan Valikhanov — a Kazakh scholar and enlightener, geographer, and historian. After receiving higher education, he entered the service of the tsarist government. In 1856, as part of a military reconnaissance expedition, he arrived at Issyk-Kul, where he studied the life and customs of the Kyrgyz. Upon returning the following year, he devoted himself entirely to the study of the history of Kyrgyzstan, recording a large excerpt from the epic “Manas” and translating it into Russian.

An invaluable contribution to the study of the Tian Shan and Issyk-Kul was made by the Russian scientist and traveler Petr Petrovich Semenov. He was the first Russian scientist to reach Lake Issyk-Kul and conduct its scientific survey. Thanks to him, science was enriched with reliable information about the structure and characteristics of the Tian Shan, as well as many unknown materials about its flora and fauna. He became an expert on Kyrgyz genealogical legends - sanjyr. For his enormous contributions to the study of the region, he was awarded the honorary addition to his surname “Tian-Shansky.”



Significant contributions to the study of the history of the Kyrgyz people, their culture, and folklore were made by scholars V. Radlov, V. Bartold, S. Malov, and others.

In 1903, the Kyrgyz land was visited by the artist B. Smirnov. He made several sketches, recorded an excerpt from the epic “Semetey” (the second part of the epic “Manas”) performed by the folk singer, musician-kyiakchi (a performer on the kyiyak — a kind of violin) Kenzhe Kara, and published it in translation into Russian.

Thus, thanks to Russian scholars, the Kyrgyz people became known to Europeans, and the Kyrgyz had the opportunity to connect with Russian and world culture.

Kyrgyzstan as Part of Russia