ABSTRACT
Every edition of the Kazak-Ianguage newspapers features poetry composed by school children and poet laureates alike. Collections of poems are sold at the Yasawi Shrine; the best ones become songs set to traditional tunes on the Kazak dombra and are sold on cassette tapes at the central bazaar, played live over the salesman's loudspeaker to attract customers. An honored guest is always treated to a recital of Kazak poetry and song. Harking back to the artistic tradition of the Kazak bard (aqm) and epic singer ( jtrau, jtrsht ) , Kazak poetry is replete with religious and ethnic themes . One modern literary genre celebrates the holy ground of Turkistan and the memory of its saints and ancestors :
Qoja Ahmet Yasawi, you are my master, I worship and bow my head to your spirit. On your sacred ground I have walked, o Turkistan, witness of the centuries .
