May 21, 2019

AFRIN, Syria — To the locals, Mostafa Bakr, a young Kurdish musician from Afrin, is a true virtuoso. Bakr established a small music school in the city — the Awaz Institute — where he teaches budding talents the region’s musical heritage.

Afrin is a town in the northern Aleppo countryside with a rich musical past — many families there own an instrument, often a tanbur, a long-necked string instrument that originates from Mesopotamia. Often hung on the wall, the tanbur is a central part of the Kurdish identity and heritage, and is played at weddings, during Nowruz (New Year's) celebrations and other occasions. It is also popular among the younger generation.

Bakr plays most of the region’s instruments with ease, from the long-necked tanbur to the smaller buzuq and teaches others to play at the music school located at his own home downtown. His students are from all age groups and play a wide range of instruments. Lilav Mostafa, a young woman with a clear voice, has been learning to play the tanbur. Sifan Ali Haider, a 40-year-old man, is learning to play the buzuq, a four-string instrument in the oud family with a small body and a long, fretted neck. Bakr also teaches children, such as Khalil Osman who is learning to play the baglama, a string instrument with seven strings.

Al-Monitor met with Hoshiar Hussein, who is a gifted 16-year-old buzuq player. “I began to play the buzuq when I was nine but I learned to play scales at the institute about three months ago,” Hussein told Al-Monitor.

Haifan Ahmad, 18, plays the baglama, too. “I love this instrument and I sing while playing. The baglama is connected to the Kurds and means a lot to me. It is part of who I am,” she told Al-Monitor.