DESTAN IS AN ORIGINAL GENRE OF TURKMEN LITERATURE

Destan is an epic genre of Turkmen literature known since the 18th century, which is the processing of various fairy tales, folk legends and legends of love or heroic content. The development of the genre was facilitated by the fact that it was in the eighteenth century, after a long period of oral existence, that the Destans began to write in almost all languages of the peoples of the Near and Middle East that entered the world of Islamic culture.

A unique feature of the Turkmen destan is the organic combination of poetry and prose intertwined with each other (destans in other languages were most often either strictly prosaic or poetic).

One of the most honorable places among the Turkmen authors of destans is held by Hirmykhammed Andalib (c. 1712-1780). His most famous works of this genre include Yusuf and Zyleikha and Leili and Mejnun. The latter is especially popular. Oriental legends and folk traditions served as the primary sources for the author. The poet managed to create an original Turkmen work, in which, unlike the destans of previous centuries, the features of individual creativity are noticeable. Andalib introduced the author's changes to the plot of traditional romance stories, interpreting individual images in his own way. The story of tragic love, popular in the East, gave the poet the opportunity to vividly and clearly show the perniciousness of strife. The high artistry of Andalib's poetry, bright, simple language and expressive prose, depiction of scenes from the contemporary poet's life contributed to the wide popularity of his works. Andalib's contemporaries also created wonderful destans about courageous people who perform feats in the name of their motherland or beloved. Appeared in the Turkmen, as well as in Persian and Turkish literature, destans, which are based on real historical events.

However, Andalib wrote not only destans. So, he owns a unique historical poem "The Legend of the Oguz", dedicated to the ancient history of the Oguzes, as well as the first biographical poem "Nesimi" in the Turkmen language, which tells about the last tragic days of the life of the poet-martyr.

Nurmukhammed Andalib's creativity had a significant impact on the later representatives of Turkmen classical poetry - Makhtumkuli, Magrupi, Shabende, Mollanepes, and many poems from the destan “Leyli and Majnun” became folk songs.

In his speeches, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov repeatedly emphasized that the outstanding thinkers of the Turkmen people - Nurmukhammed Andalib, Makhtumkuli Fragi, Abusagyt Abulhayir, Mahmud Zamakhshari, Jelaleddin Rumi, Muhammad Bayram-khan subsequent generations of Turkmens will love their Motherland, be fair, merciful, persistent, generous and magnanimous.

Destan is an original genre of Turkmen literature (turkmenistan.gov.tm)