
The origins of the Kyrgyz people are steeped in ancient history and fascinating myths. Emerging more than 3,000 years ago, the Kyrgyz trace their roots to early Turkic nomads who moved westward from agricultural communities in Northeast China around the late 3rd millennium BCE. By the 1st millennium BCE, they had transformed into skilled equestrian nomads, traversing the steppes with their herds and forging their identity in the wide, open landscapes of Central Asia.
The Yenisei Kyrgyz, a significant ancestral group, lived in Siberia's upper Yenisei River valley. First mentioned in Chinese records as Gekun or Jiankun, they were known for their light skin, red hair, and green or blue eyes—a trait linked by legend to Scythian ancestry. Their early history was marked by subjugation under the Xiongnu Empire around 202 BCE, but they eventually rose to prominence, forming their own thriving state based on the Gök Türk model by the 8th century CE. They adopted the Orkhon script and established trading ties with both China and the Abbasid Caliphate.