Turkmen Dutar
The Turkmen dutar is a two-stringed lute played among Turkmens living in Turkmenistan and in the Golestan province in northwestern Iran. It is the principal instrument for Turkmen folk bards (bagshy) to accompany themselves in epic and lyric poetry singing. It is also a popular solo instrument.
The dutar is found in different forms among different peoples in Central Asia, such as the Tajiks, the Uyghurs, the Uzbeks and also in the Khorasan region in northeastern Iran. The Turkmen dutar is the closest in form to the dutar of Khorasan. In Turkmen legend, the dutar was invented by Baba Kambar (spelt Baba Gammar in Turkmen). He is also a patron saint of music. Whoever wants to be a bagshy not only has to complete their studies, but also make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Baba Gammar or another such patron saint, make offerings and perform there, before they receive the saint’s blessing in an initiatory dream that allows them to become a bagshy.
The body of a Turkmen dutar is made out of a piece of hollowed-out mulberry wood covered by a soundboard made out of a piece of roasted mulberry wood. Its small, round neck is made out of apricot with steel frets, unique among dutars. It uses steel strings, replacing silk which was used up till the 1930s.
