TEHRAN -- The International Conference on Jiroft Civilization will open with a recital, which will be performed with an instrument made of dried pomegranate.

Named setnar, the wind instrument carries five holes and is a local musical instrument common in the towns of Jiroft and Anbarabad in southern Iran’s Kerman Province, the Persian Service of CHN reported on Sunday.
No other example of this instrument has so far been found in the world, an expert on Kerman regional music Fo’ad Tohidi said.
The instrument is originally named sutnar and is also called kafku in Jovalbaz, near Jiroft, he added.
Tohidi described music as one of main entertainments of people in Jiroft, Manujan, Kahnuj, and Anbarabad and added, “Kerman is home to over 35 local music instruments.”
“Kerman’s local music is fading into obscurity and I believe that in 20 years, nobody would know how to play such music anymore,” he lamented.
“The local musicians are not financially supported by the cultural officials. Thus their children have no inclination to work in the field of traditional music,” he added.
The setnar recital will be performed by Majid Amiri. A group of artists from Jiroft has also been scheduled to present dastchap and chub-bazi, two Kermani rituals during the opening ceremony of the conference.
Tehran will be playing host to the International Conference on Jiroft Civilization from May 5 to 6. Iranian and foreign experts and archaeologists will discuss latest studies on the 5000-year-old sites of Jiroft during the conference which will then be continued in Jiroft from May 8 to 9.