The folk music of the South Caucasus

ita eng
19 June 2013

The meeting with Ashiq tradition - wandering minstrels-  gave birth to the idea behind the Sayat Nova Project concerning the diverse musical traditions of the South Caucasus. Photo-story by Onnik Krikorian 

Read more: Musical Dialects of the South Caucasus

The research Sayat Nova
The researchers, Stefan Williamson-Fa from Gibraltar and Ben Wheeler and Anna Harbaugh from the United States pose with Nargile Mehtiyeva, an ethnic Azeri Ashiq, and her daughter on the banks of the "Tbilisi Sea".
Nargile Mehtiyeva
A new generation of ethnic Azeri Ashiqs is also forming in Georgia, with Nargile Mehtiyeva at the forefront of the tradition. Regularly performing at festivals in Turkey, Mehtiyeva is also resurrecting the tradition of female Ashiqs among the younger generation.
Sergo Kamalov
Sergo Kamalov is an 85-year-old ethnic Armenian musician living in Tbilisi, Georgia, who plays tar, kamancha, dhol and other instruments common to Armenian, Azerbaijani, and other musical traditions. During the Soviet era, he was also leader of the Sayat Nova Ensemble.
The Imam
An Imam in the ethnic Avar village of Chantlisqure in Georgia. Numbering less than 2,000 in the country according to data from 2002, Avars are the most populous of the ethnic groups living in neighboring Dagestan.
Ashiq Garib
Ashiq Garib, a 75-year-old ethnic Azeri bard from Algeti, a village in a mainly Azeri-populated region of Georgia. According to the Sayat Nova Project, Ashiq Garib has become the main mentor and teacher for a new generation of Ashiqs and Saz players.