APeopleIndependent states
Kyrgyz
The people of the Tian Shan mountains. Their name is among the oldest Turkic ethnonyms recorded in Old Turkic inscriptions, and the Manas epic is one of the longest in the world.
The Kyrgyz are among the oldest Turkic peoples: their name appears in the Orkhon-Yenisei inscriptions and in Chinese sources. In the 9th century the Yenisei Kyrgyz brought down the Uyghur Khaganate. In later centuries the Kyrgyz settled in the Tian Shan and the Pamirs.
The symbol of Kyrgyz culture is the Manas epic, inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1991. The classification of Kyrgyz is debated by linguists; it is usually placed in the Kipchak group.
Updated: September 28, 2026