Shashmaqam

Shashmaqam: Beautiful Music from Central Asia

Shashmaqam is a special and very beautiful kind of music. It comes from two countries in Central Asia: Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Some people think it started in the old city of Bukhara.

The name Shashmaqom means “the six Maqams.” Maqams are different musical styles or ways of making music. The songs often have words from old Sufi poems. People play simple instruments with the singing. Some of these instruments are the long-necked lutes like the rawap, dutar, and a frame drum called the dayra that sounds like a tambourine.

In the early 1900s, a person named Abdul Rauf Fitrad wrote a book about the traditional music of Uzbekistan. He showed how important this music was to the Uzbek people. Later, people in Tajikistan began to see Shashmaqam as very important to their culture, too.

Today, Shashmaqam is known in many places around the world, thanks to performers from Central Asia. It is loved for its gentle sounds and rich history.