Akyn (Kazakh: ????/aq?n, Kyrgyz: ????/Akyn, Russian: ????) is an improvising poet and singer in the Kazakh and Kyrgyz culture. Akyn differs from the so-called zhirau, who is an epic storyteller and a song performer. Akyns improvise in the form of a song-like recitative to the accompaniment of a dombra. Considering the nomadic lifestyle and illiteracy of most of the rural population in Central Asia in pre-Soviet times, akyns played and important role in terms of expressing people's thoughts and feelings, exposing social vices, and glorifying heroes. See also · Kazakh music Kazakhstani cultureKyrgyz cultureMasterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Akyn????????