On 20 October, after nearly two years, NewEurasia’s Paksoy’s translation of the ancient Turkic epic Alpamysh shall resume!

The Alpamysh is a Turkic dastan, i.e., ornate oral history, and a prime representative of the Turkic oral literature of Central Asia. This literature has been and remains the principal repository of ethnic identity, history, customs, and the value systems of its owners and composers. Set mostly in verse, the Alpamysh is known and recited from the eastern Altai to the western Ural mountain ranges and as far south as Band-e Turkestan. It commemorates the Turkic people’s struggles for freedom, on one level materially, but at a deeper level spiritually.

It’s a pretty big undertaking; posts shall run over the course of the remainder of 2012. We hope you enjoy them!