Azerbaijan Gifts Traditional Instruments to Brussels Museum, Celebrating Mugham Heritage

The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belgium and Luxembourg, along with Azerbaijan’s National Commission for UNESCO, hosted a ceremony to present the traditional Azerbaijani musical instruments – the tar, kamancha, and gaval – to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, Belgium.

At the event on Thursday, Seymur Fataliyev, Secretary-General of Azerbaijan’s National Commission for UNESCO, expressed gratitude to the museum for its interest in Azerbaijani music and instruments. He emphasized that the tar, kamancha, and gaval are integral to the performance of Azerbaijani mugham, a genre recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The event highlighted the importance of mugham in Azerbaijan’s rich cultural heritage, with the tar, kamancha, and gaval trio representing the country’s ancient musical traditions.

The tar, a symbol of Azerbaijani musical identity, is a stringed instrument renowned for its unique depth of expression. The kamancha, with its rich and emotive tone, is often referred to as “the voice of the Azerbaijani spirit,” while the gaval provides rhythmic support, embodying the pulse of this unique music.

The history of tar dates back to as far as the 11th century. Its modern form was refined two centuries ago. The tar gifted to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels was handcrafted in Baku.

The kamancha presented to the museum was meticulously crafted from mulberry and walnut wood and features a delicate membrane made from sturgeon fish skin.

“The gaval completes the traditional mugham trio alongside the tar and kamancha,” Fataliyev added. “The vocalist, who plays the gaval while singing, is pivotal in delivering rhythmic melodies. The gaval we are presenting was handcrafted in Ganja [the second-largest city in Azerbaijan]. Made from mulberry wood, its fish-skin membrane provides unique resonance.”

Belgian music experts shared their admiration for Azerbaijani mugham and its instruments, describing mugham as “a vast musical universe.” Gery Dumoulin, musicologist and curator of the museum’s Western wind and percussion instruments collection, called the tar and kamancha “enchanting instruments.”