The Legend of Korkyt is a philosophical reflection on life, death and immortality, contained in art.

Korkyt – akyn, zhyrau, composer, whose name is associated with the appearance kobyz. His birth was accompanied by unusual phenomena: a three-year stay in the womb, darkness that covered the world for three days, and a storm that instilled fear in people. The name “Korkut” is translated as “fear” but his fate became a symbol of the fight against inevitability.

Seeking immortality, he wandered around the world, he met everywhere people digging his grave. Realizing that it was impossible to avoid death, Korkyt found eternity in art. According to one legend, he played the kobyz, and while the music sounded, death retreated. However, one day, tired, he fell asleep, and at that moment he was bitten by a snake – an image of sudden death.

Korkyt-Ata became the patron saint of musicians, and his philosophy reflects the views of the Turkic peoples on eternity: “There is no immortality, but good deeds remain.” Art, created by man, survives centuries, and Korkyt music is confirmation of this.