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. Farmers make up most of the Dotār-playing population. This population includes male and female players and craftsmen.
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. 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. 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.
It is the tradition in this area for musicians to play mythical, romantic and epic stories along with Dotar. In this area, people are famously known as “Bakhshi” when they narrate ancient stories. 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.
Dotār is primarily responsible for telling ancient narratives and stories in northern Khorasan. The new generation takes adventure stories more to the heart through music. They pass on the old stories through the experiences of previous generations.
Traditional Iranians craft and play the Dotār. They are a major part of the North Khorasan music culture in Iran. This instrument has had such an impact that it has influenced the population of several Iranian ethnic groups.
References: https://www.destinationiran.com/traditional-skills-crafting-playing-dotar-iran.htm
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-skills-of-crafting-and-playing-dotr-01492