Erbil concert celebrates Kurdish musical heritage

EBRIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish music took center stage in Erbil on Thursday at a concert featuring performances from across the Kurdistan Region - Erbil, Sulaimani, Kirkuk, Garmian, Duhok, Halabja, and Hawraman.

The unforgettable night was put on by Zahawi Music House, which was launched by musician Hazhar Zahawi in November 2021.

“The goal was to create a music house in Kurdistan that could be Kurdish and promote Kurdish music and artists, as well as be international. My musical career started when I was 15. I played the daf since then,” Hazhar Zahawi said at the start of the concert.

The daf is a traditional Kurdish frame drum. Daf players, including two women from Sulaimani, opened the concert.

 

“In Brazil, Ireland and Central Asia, there are framed drums, but the Kurdish daf is simple, made of leather and metal chains. What makes this instrument special is the technique of playing it. When we play it, we hold it up. You don’t see it in other types of framed drums in the world. It has a historical and sacred aspect in our culture that originates from sacred ceremonies in Kurdistan,” Zahawi said.

After the enthusiastic daf playing, a music group from Duhok performed songs from the Badinan region.

 

The next performance featured musicians from Kirkuk and Garmian. A young artist, dressed in traditional Kirkuk attire, sang a Kurdish song.

“In Garmian, when you listen to their songs, you feel the warmth of the words and the region,” Zahawi said.

 

The final group was from Erbil. Ashti Aziz performed a hairan, a unique style of singing from the Erbil plains.

“Hairan is telling stories, stories of war, sorrow, love, loss, and country,” Zahawi said.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, foreign diplomats, and several popular figures and artists attended the concert.

Zahawi Music House has produced collaborations between Kurdish artists from different countries, as well as international musicians.