Articles, Updates and News on, for and from the Ismaili jamaat
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Music & Poetry
The flute is often played in songs from the Ismaili Pamir regions. Some types of *nay* are played like a traditional western flute, from the side. The examples below are of end-blown flutes (much like a recorder). Often the *nay* is used for the traditional performance, *falaki*.
The Rubob/Rubab hails from central Afghanistan and derives its name from an Arabic word meaning 'played with a bow'. With slight variations from region to region, it is a 17 or 18 stringed mulberry wood instrument that shares similarities with the lute. It is a key part of many classical Persian compositions, and is even the national instrument of Afghanistan.
Here's a collection of Wakhi songs, both from Pakistan and Tajikistan. The Wakhi number about 100 000 and live across Badakhshan (Tajikistan and Afghanistan) as well as in north west Pakistan and far west China. Their language has not traditionally been written (although there are scripts in Cyrillic and Arabic) and so song and story-telling are two of the principle ways the language is kept alive.
