Ashik

For the Albanian use of the term to describe a pederastic lover see Albanian pederasty

Azerbaijani Ashiq musicians performing in Old Baku near the Maiden Tower

Armenian ashugh school of a name of Jivani in Yerevan

An image of an Azerbaijani Ashiq player

Ashiq depicted in an old Azerbaijani movie

An Ashik (Azerbaijani: aşıq/Ashiq, Turkish: aşık, عاشیق, Armenian: Աշուղ, ashugh, Georgian: აშუღი, ashughi) is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Iran who sings and plays the saz, a form of lute. Ashiks' songs are semi-improvised around common bases. In September 2009, Azerbaijan’s ashik art was included into UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.^[1]

The Ashik tradition in Turkic cultures of Anatolia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia has its origin in the Shamanistic beliefs of ancient Turkic peoples.^[2]

The ancient ashiks were called by various names such as bakhshi (Baxşı), dede (dədə), and uzan or ozan. Among their various roles, they played a major part in perpetuation of oral tradition, promotion of communal value system and traditional culture of their people.

These wandering bards or troubadours are part of current rural and folk culture of Azerbaijan, and Iranian Azerbaijan , they also can be found in Turkey, the Turkmen Sahra (Iran) and Turkmenistan, where they are called bakshy.

Etymology

The word Ashik, derives from Arabic word Asheq (عاشق), and means the "one who is in love (Ishq, Turkish: Aşk)".

It is also sometimes used as a male personal name.^{[citation needed]}

Famous Ashiks

20th century

• Ashik Hussain Nanji
• Muharrem Ertaş
• Ali Ekber Çiçek
• Aşık Mahzuni Şerif

• Aşık Khanlar
• Aşık Veysel
• Muhlis Akarsu
• Neşet Ertaş
• Ashiq Edalet
• Aşik Daimi
• Davut Sulari
• Aşıq Hüseyn Bozalqanlı
• Aşıq Hüseyn Saraclı
• Mikayıl Azaflı
• Aşıq Hüseyn Cavan
• Aşıq Kamandar
• Aşıq Əmrah

19th century

• Aşiq Alı
• Aşiq Ələsgər
• Molla Cümə
• Aşiq Musa
• Jivani

18th century

• Sayat-Nova

17th century

• Karacaoğlan
• Kul Nesîmî
• Xəstə Qasım
• Aşıq Abdulla
• Sarı Aşıq

16th century

• Pir Sultan Abdal

• Aşıq Abbas Tufarqanlı
• Aşıq Qərib

13th century

• Yunus Emre

Major Ashik Stories

As the art of Ashik is based on oral tradition, the number of ashik stories can be as many as the Ashiks themselves. Throughout the centuries of this tradition many interesting stories and epics have thrived, and these are the ones who handed down. The main themes of the most Ashik stories are worldly love or epics of wars and battles or both.

• The epic of "Koroghlu" is one of those which combine the occasional romance with Robin hood like chivalry. Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov has created an opera by this name, using the Ashik stories and masterfully combined some Ashik music with this major classical work.

• Ashik Kerib, Azeri epic, made famous by Mikhail Lermontov, is another major story of a wandering Ashik who began his journeys with worldly love and attains wisdom by traveling and learning then achieving sainthood. The story of Ashik Kerib has been the main feature of a movie with the same name by director and producer Sergei Parajanov.

• Aslı and Kerem is the story of a Moslem prince Kerem and a Christian girl Aslı who are fallen in love despite the major opposition by their parents and community.

See also

• Albanian pederasty, for the Albanian use of the term to describe a pederastic lover
• List of Turkic languages poets
• Ishq

Notes and references

External links

• Details of the film Ashik Kerib by Parajanov
• Women Performers of Legend and Folk Poetry
• The Poet Minstrels of Azerbaijan
• Encyclopedia Iranica. C. F. Albright. Asheg.
• An article on Ashuqs by British Library

Video

• Ashik film