dastan

thumb|right|A traditional Kyrgyz Epic of Manas|manaschi performing part of the epic poem (dastan) at a yurt camp in [[Karakol]] Dastan () is an ornate form of oral history, an epic, from Central Asia, Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

A dastan is generally centered on one individual who protects his tribe or his people from an outside invader or enemy, although only occasionally can this figure be traced back to a historical person. This main character sets an example of how one should act, and the dastan becomes a teaching tool — for example the Sufi master and Turkic poet Ahmed Yesevi said "Let the scholars hear my wisdom, treating my words like a dastan". Alongside the wisdom, each dastan is rich with cultural history of interest to scholars.