The akyn, in Kazakh and Kyrgyz culture, is a folk bard who recites improvised poetry and performs melodic works to the accompaniment of the dombra or the komuz. Akyns are not only poets but masters of oral tradition who transmit the memory and values of society.
In the contest tradition called "aytys/aytysh," two akyns compete with reciprocal improvised poems; these performances are among the best-loved art forms of steppe culture. The akyn tradition is inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.