Tanbur, a long-necked fretted lute, is an inseparable part of the lives of the Kurds in Iran, so much so that the children learn how to play it before they learn how to read and write.

According to a report by Mehr news agency, the Kamali brothers have dedicated nearly 50 years of their lives to revive and preserve the art of Tanbur among their people in Dalahu County, western Kermanshah province.

The history of the area, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, extends back into antiquity, as many local monuments of Achaemenid and Sasanid origin demonstrate—e.g., the rock carvings at Bisotun and Taq-e Bostan.

There are also many prehistoric remains in the form of mounds and formerly inhabited caves. Kermanshah was founded in the 4th century CE by King Bahram IV of the Sasanian dynasty (224 CE–651), under whom Persia experienced a general renaissance in arts and architecture.

(Photos: Amir Ali Razzaghi/Tehran Times)

AFM/MG