The epic "Manas" is recognized as a masterpiece of oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO and is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest epic in the world.
Manaschi Aziz Biymyrza uulu shared numbers and facts about "Manas": how many versions of the epic exist, how many manaschi there are today, as well as how many characters and lines are in the trilogy.
Versions of the Epic
Currently, there are more than 70 versions of the epic "Manas" known to have been preserved in the Manuscript Fund of the National Academy of Sciences. The most famous works are by manaschi Sagymbay Orozbakov, Sayakbay Karalaev, and Jusup Mamay.
According to the tale of Sagymbay Orozbakov, only part of "Manas," consisting of 9 books, was recorded. The recording of the first part began in 1922 and was completed in 1926.
In Karalaev's version, the epic is divided into 4 parts: the trilogy "Manas," "Semetey," "Seitek," and another section. The work on the trilogy by Sayakbay Karalaev lasted 16 years — from 1931 to 1947.
In Jusup Mamay's version, the epic includes 8 parts — the trilogy "Manas," "Semetey," "Seitek," and 5 additional parts. The recording of these parts took place from 1961 to 1985 with breaks.
Manaschi
The first recitation about Manas was made by one of the 40 choro — Yramandyn Yrchy uulu, who composed songs about Manas's feats during his lifetime, being his companion.
Currently, there are about 20 well-known manaschi, including both young performers and recognized masters. In total, 70 names of epic narrators have been recorded in history.
Volume of the Epic
The version by Sagymbay Orozbakov contains 180,378 lines only in the part "Manas."
The trilogy by Sayakbay Karalaev consists of 500,553 lines, of which 84,513 lines belong to the section "Manas," 316,157 lines to "Semetey," and 84,697 lines to "Seitek."
In the 8 parts of Jusup Mamay's version, there are about 232,011 lines, of which 53,280 lines belong to "Manas," 35,246 lines to "Semetey," and 22,590 lines to "Seitek."
Characters and Toponyms
The epic includes the names of approximately 600 characters, as well as more than 500 toponyms mentioned in the text.
