A large-scale 16-volume work covering the history of the Kyrgyz people is planned to be published in Kyrgyzstan. The secretary of the commission for the development of historical science under the president, Zamirbek Tursunbekov, told 24.kg about the possible increase in the number of volumes and the process of their preparation.
The idea of creating a new multi-volume publication was initiated by a special commission engaged in the development of historical science.
Initially, there was talk of 15 volumes, but at a recent meeting, proposals arose to expand it to 16. It is possible that the project will be implemented in this format.
Zamirbek Tursunbekov
According to Tursunbekov, the new work will combine existing historical data and modern research, including new archaeological finds and discoveries. This will be one of the key features of the new publication.
“The creation of a fundamental history has long been overdue. During the years of independence, in 2016-2017, a three-volume history of Kyrgyzstan was published, but a full-fledged multi-volume edition has not existed until now,” he noted.
Particular attention will be paid to the issue of distorting the historical narrative.
“There is currently a trend where people without historical education try to write about history. This can lead to the distortion of facts. Therefore, there is a need to create a unified, scientifically substantiated history of the Kyrgyz people,” added Zamirbek Tursunbekov.
He reported that the new publication will cover a wide time period—from the Paleolithic to the post-Soviet era.
Each volume will have its own responsible editors, who must form author groups of two to four people within 10 days.
“The chief editor of the project is the state secretary of Kyrgyzstan, candidate of historical sciences Arslan Koychiev. The overall coordination of the 16-volume publication is carried out by the director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Abylabek Asankanov,” the secretary of the commission added.
It is expected that the manuscripts of all volumes will be ready by the end of the year and, after corrections, sent to print.
The history will be written in a popular scientific style to make it accessible and understandable to a wide audience.
At the moment, the budget for the multi-volume publication is not disclosed.
It is worth noting that in 2024, by the decree of the president of the Kyrgyz Republic, a special commission for the development of historical science was established, chaired by state secretary Arslan Koychiev.
