AInstrumentIndependent states
Davul and zurna
A large double-headed drum and a loud double-reed pipe — the inseparable pair of Anatolian weddings, festivals and wrestling matches.
The davul hangs from the shoulder: one head is struck with a heavy beater, the other with a thin switch. The zurna is a double-reed pipe; players use circular breathing, storing air in the cheeks, to play without a break.
The pair is played outdoors and carries far. Weddings, circumcision feasts, Kırkpınar oil wrestling and halay and bar dances all take place to its sound.
Davul and zurna were also central to the Ottoman mehter band, and families of drummers and pipers across Anatolia keep the art alive from generation to generation.
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Updated: October 2, 2026