The ''dutar'' (also ''

dotar The ''dutar'' (also ''dotar''; fa, دوتار, dutâr; russian: Дутар; tg, дутор; ug, دۇتار, ucy=Дутар, Dutar; uz, dutor; ; dng, Дутар) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central ...

''; fa, دوتار, dutâr; russian: Дутар; tg, дутор; ug, دۇتار, ucy=Дутар, Dutar; uz, dutor; ; dng, Дутар) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

found in Iran and Central Asia. Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings", دوتار ''do tār'' (< دو ''do'' "two",تار ''tār'' "string"), although the Herati dutar of Afghanistan has fourteen strings. Dutar is very popular in Tajikistan and Khorasan province of Iran. When played, the strings are usually plucked by the Uyghurs of Western China and strummed and plucked by the Tajiks,

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

, Uzbeks. Related instruments include the

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

dombra. The Dutar is also an important instrument among the Kurds of Khorasan amongst whom Haj Ghorban Soleimani of Quchan was a noted virtuoso. In Kurdish one who plays the dutar is known as a bakci (bakhshi), while in

Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic people living mainly in Azerbaijan (Iran), northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republi ...

the term is

ashiq An ashik ( az, aşıq, ; tr, âşık; fa, عاشیق) or ashugh ( hy, աշուղ; ka, აშუღი) is traditionally a singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as '' hikay ...

. Khorasan bakhshi music is recognized on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. At the time of the Dutar's humble origins in the 15th century as a

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

's instrument its strings were made from gut. However, with the opening up of the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

, catgut gave way to strings made from twisted silk imported from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. To this day some instruments still feature silk strings, although nylon strings are also commonly used. The dutar has a warm, dulcet tone. Typical sizes for the pear-shaped instrument range from one to two meters. Typically it is tuned La Re or A D, but it also depends on the region.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Dutar making craftsmanship and traditional music performing art combined with singing from 2021 representative on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. Туркменистан получил официальное подтверждение ЮНЕСКО о признании общечеловеческой ценности дутара
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Notable players

Haj Ghorban Soleimani (1920–2008) *

Turgun Alimatov Turgun Alimatov ( uz, Turgʻun Alimatov; 20 January 1922 – 17 December 2008) was a leading Uzbek classic music and shashmaqam player and composer of 20th century folk and classic music. He was a master performer of tanbur The term ''Tanbur ...

(1922–2008) *

Abdurahim Hamidov Abdurahim Hamidov (1952, Tashkent, Uzbekistan – 2013, United States) was an Uzbekistani lutenist. He was a master musician of the long-necked lutes tanbur, qashqari rubab and dutar. He was particularly known for playing lively, modern virtuosic ...

(1952–2013) * Abdurehim Heyit ( Uyghur) (1962–) *

Sanubar Tursun Sanubar Tursun (; born 1971) is a Uyghur female singer-songwriter, famous ''dutar'' player and researcher for Uyghur Muqams. Tursun released her first album in 2000. She was a judge in the Uyghur language '' The Voice of the Silk Road''. She wa ...

(1971–) *Alireza Soleimani (Aliabad, Khorasan) *Sultan Reza Bakci (Geliani) (

Khorasan Khorasan may refer to: * Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan * Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...

i) *Haj Mohammad Hossein Yeganeh (Khorasani) *Abdolghader Afzali(Khorasan, Iran) *Aziz Tanha (Korasan, Iran) *Saied Tehranizadeh *Abd Allah Amini (Khorasani) *Zolfaghar Askarian (Khorasani) *Gholam Ali Poor Ataa (Khorasani) *Aliia Gholi Yeganeh (

) *Osman Mohammadparast (

Khaf, Iran Khaf ( fa, خواف; also Romanized as Khvāf and Khāf; also known as Qaşabeh-ye Rūd, Rūd, Rūi Khāf, and Rūy) is a city and capital of Khaf County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 21,160, in 4,924 ...

) *Abdollah Alijani Ardeshir (Tehran, Iran)

References

External links

Listen famous Dutar tunesEncyclopedia of Persian Music InstrumentsDutar Music of Turkmenistan (ethnomusicology essay by Graham Flett, 2001)
{{Authority control Necked bowl lutes Central Asian music Uyghur musical instruments Kazakhstani musical instruments Uzbekistani musical instruments Kyrgyz musical instruments Afghan musical instruments Tajik musical instruments Turkmen musical instruments Persian words and phrases Iranian inventions Persian musical instruments

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Notable players

See also

References

External links