The Art of Making and Playing Iranian Dotar (Dutar) Was Inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List
In the last month of 2019, the art of making and playing Iranian Dotar was finally inscribed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Now that this legacy belongs to the whole world, let’s learn a little more about this intangible heritage and plan for a cultural-nature trip. A journey to the rich culture and magnificent landscapes of Iran’s nature.
What Is the Dotar?
The musicians of Dotar believe that the wood has the same spirit as other living beings and only when you will hear the great sound of the instrument that creates a common sense between the soul of the listener and the musical performer. That’s why Iranistour has made it possible for you to visit and hear this instrument along with its cultural-nature tours. It is important for the Iranistour team that you can enjoy the most aspects and possibilities of your trip to Iran. So, in addition to experiencing the excitement of trekking in the desert, you will get to know the culture and lifestyle of the desert people on our adventure trip to Lut desert.
The Dotar instrument is originally owned by the people of Pars. Iranians today, as the greatest survivor of Pars civilization, strives to preserve the valuable heritage of this great civilization. This instrument is prevalent in the north and northeast of Iran, Transoxiana, parts of China and Mongolia, as well as Afghanistan. Another form of this instrument is called Tanbur, which is a mystical instrument in western Iran and the Anatolian Plateau.
Dotar Making Heritage
In addition to performing, the process of Dotar making is also a valuable human heritage. Since the main center of the use of this instrument is in the Khorasan region of Iran, it is necessary to know that about 300 years ago numerous social changes have taken place in Iran. At that time many tribes were forced to leave their homeland and settle in the Khorasan region. Therefore, it led us to meet people who have 4 native languages! They can speak Kurmanji, Kurdish, Turkish and Persian.
This background has made the Dutar an ethnic instrument and influenced its structure and how it was made and played. So the experiences of several different ethnicities and the several different kinds of music came together and made it a UNESCO World Heritage.
The music of Dotar incorporates unique playing techniques and is usually sung in four languages with specific folk tales. The tales have an Iranian-Islamic origin and include the realities of life, the imagination, the drama, and the comedy.
Build the Instrument
Although it has been facilitated in music schools, it is still practiced by the great masters of this instrument and there are special traditions for learning. Usually, the enthusiasts of dutar must first listen in secret to the sound of it from behind the door and are not allowed to attend the master’s classes. After a while of secretly watching through the window, the student is allowed to enter the room, see the instrument in Master’s hand, and imitate a little. Once the master has identified the student’s artistic, mental, and physical attributes for proper learning, then it must be built for the student. At a higher level, the student must be able to build the instrument so that he can later become a master.
Lut Desert
On the trip to Lut Desert, we will enjoy Dotar (Dutar) as an intangible World Heritage alongside the visual attractions of Lut Desert as a natural World Heritage Site.
The Lut Desert itself is a museum of all the deserts of the world and has unique sights and phenomena. But the tour can only be optimally performed by tourism experts, as it is even harder to travel without a professional team, even with Asterix & Obelix flying carpets!
Travel to a world of other colors and visit the Nebkahs, the Kaluts (Yardangs), the dunes, strolling on a special land, and enjoying the magic of Dutar with the Iranistour.