Gumbez of Manas

The Gumbez (Mausoleum) of Manas, a medieval architectural monument from the 14th century (around 1334), is located in Tasharyk village, at the crossroad of Kenkol valley and Talas valley, 13 km north-east of Talas. Although well known among people and in scientific literature as the Mausoleum of Manas, the inscription on the wall reads that the tomb belongs to the daughter of one of the rulers of the Chagatai Khanate, but the body of a 2 meters tall man was found in the tomb. There is a famous legend saying that Kanykei, Manas’s wife, ordered masters from Bukhara and Samarkand to build this monument in memory of her deceased husband and that the girl’s name on the tomb was inscribed specially in order to distract the attention of the enemies. The walls of this building constructed of brick are decorated with Karakhanid patterns and Arabic inscriptions. Today, it is surrounded by an architectural complex called Manas Ordo which can be visited. The site include two large cementeries, one musuem, modern statues and a wide park.