The Dotār is a traditional plucked musical instrument, played by performing groups of people on important social and cultural occasions such as weddings, parties, celebrations, ritual ceremonies, and traditional ceremonies.
Among the ethnic groups and communities of the Dotār regions, the traditional skills of crafting and playing the Dotār make up one of the most significant cultural and social components of folkloric music.
The Dotār bow is crafted from dried wood or mulberry tree. The neck is made from apricot or walnut wood, and there are two strings. Some believe one string is male, governed by the accordion, and the other string is female, controlling the main melody.
Over the last few decades, it has also been showcased at local, regional, national, and even international festivals. Farmers make up most of the Dotār-playing population which includes male and female players and craftsmen.
The players tell epic, historical, moral and gnostic narratives that reflect the ethnic history, pride and identity of their people. Traditions related to the Dotār are passed on informally through master-student teaching and reflect the history and background of the bearers.
The element can also be found in local oral and written literature, which reflects the history and background of the bearers. This practice fosters peaceful coexistence among different communities as well as mutual respect and understanding with neighboring countries.
The north of Khorasan geographically encompasses many cities. This diverse range of cultures has resulted in the music of this region being multicultural. Because of this, traditional skills of making and playing Iranian Dotār are prevalent in the cultures of the Kurdish, Turkic, and Turkmen ethnicities living in these regions.
A lot of poetry is sung in Turkish while playing Dotār. In northern Khorasan, Turkish is spoken widely, so much of the poetry and narration are in Turkish. It is the tradition in this area for musicians to play mythical, romantic and epic stories along with Dotar. People are famously known as “Bakhshi” when they narrate ancient stories.
Dotār is passed on formally through the master-student method, and the element is also included in oral and written literature, in which the bearers reflect the history and background of the system. Dotār fosters peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and understanding between different communities and neighbouring countries.