Iran's Tar listed as Azerbaijani Cultural Heritage in UNESCO!

Jan 1, 2013

Culture

Historic picture shows Tar being played during Safavid dynasty in Iran, long before the country of Azarbaijan was formed

Mehr News Agency: Daryoosh Pirnyakan, a Tar player and now spokesman of Iran’s House of Music decries the registration of Tar musical instrument as cultural heritage for Republic of Azerbaijan in UNESCO. Pirnyakan indicates that Iran's representative in UNESCO has filed a formal notice of objection.

He rejects the Azerbaijani officials' claims to register Tar musical instrument as a Turkish instrument as fake, adding that “the instrument has migrated from Iran to Azerbaijan. They have removed the crotchets and with a little change, adopted Tar as a Turkish instrument. The question is that if Tar is originally a Turkish instrument, why in playing, they use Iranian music systems and devices... According to documents, this instrument originates in southern Iran. Deep into the history, Tar was named Shirazi Tar. It is not clear that how Tar has gone to a northern border and to the hand of Turks."

Iranian and International Tar Maestro Hossein Alizadeh

Pirnyakan also reminds us that historically "Azerbaijan is a misnomer, since Caucasus has been separated from Iran according to Golestan and Turkmanchai Treaties in the time of Fathalishah and Abbas Mirza. Then Albania, the present Azerbaijan was renamed ‘Aran’.” .. Since the October Revolution of 1917 in Tsarist Russia, this region assumed the name ‘Azerbaijan’ during the Ahmad Shah reign. They have adopted the Iranian native and national culture in a gradual pace."

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