Manas Ordo ( Kyrgyz and

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Манас Ордо, ) is a modern historical park (with a museum) built around Manas's Kümböz ( ky, Манастын күмбөзү, ; russian: Кумбез Манаса), a

Karakhanid The Kara-Khanid Khanate (; ), also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids (), was a Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia in the 9th through the early 13th century. The dynastic names of Karakhanids and Ilek K ...

-era mausoleum most likely built around 1334 thought to be the final resting place of the Kyrgyz epic hero Manas. Among the Kyrgyz, the site has status as a '' mazar''. The mausoleum looks similar to other monuments from the 14th century, with kufic script around the outside edge of the monument.

Background

The Kyrgyz epic hero Manas is said to have been buried in the Ala-Too mountains in Talas Province, in northwestern

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

. The mausoleum 12 km east of the town of Talas is believed to house his remains and is a popular destination for Kyrgyz travelers. Traditional Kyrgyz horsemanship games are held there every summer since 1995. An inscription on the mausoleum states, however, that it is dedicated to "...the most famous of women, Kenizek-Khatun, the daughter of the emir Abuka". Legend has it that Kanikey, Manas' widow, ordered this inscription in an effort to confuse her husband's enemies and prevent a defiling of his grave. Indeed, when archaeologists opened the tomb, they found the skeleton of a man who was about 2 m tall (6.5 feet), not the skeleton of a woman. Academics and experts took this to mean that Manas Ordo was indeed the tomb of the legendary warrior, and not of the princess mentioned in the tomb's outer inscription. While there are still skeptics that say that Manas was not buried in this mausoleum, the sight has nonetheless become a popular destination and an important spiritual sight in Kyrgyzstan.

References

Buildings and structures completed in 1334 Archaeological sites in Kyrgyzstan Mausoleums in Kyrgyzstan Museums in Kyrgyzstan {{Kyrgyzstan-struct-stub