The musical tradition of afşi̇n minstrels and their contributions to folk music

The Musical Tradition of Afşin Bards and Their Contributions to Folk Music The main objective of this research is to examine the musical, cultural, historical, and social dimensions of the minstrel and troubadour tradition practiced in the Afşin district of Kahramanmaraş, and to reveal the place and importance of this tradition within Turkish folk music. The study aims to evaluate the thematic structures, musical characteristics, performance practices, and oral culture transmission processes found in the works of Afşin troubadours from a holistic perspective. In this context, it attempts to demonstrate that the troubadour tradition is not only an artistic production area but also a structure that carries social memory, reproduces cultural identity, and transmits it from generation to generation. The research was conducted using a qualitative research method. A survey model and ethnographic design were employed; data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and document analysis. The study group consisted of five minstrels (Ozan Ahmet Karakaya, Ozan Seyit Kalender, Ozan Nuri Peker, Ozan Aliyar Arslan, and Ozan Ozan Köşoğlu) living in the Kahramanmaraş/Afşin region. The data obtained were evaluated using content analysis and descriptive analysis methods; supported by makam dizisi-usul analyses and compositional analyses. The findings show that the Afşin minstrel tradition has a deep-rooted place within Turkish folk music. It was determined that the most frequently addressed themes in the compositions are love, longing, separation, exile, love of nature, resentment, and social life. Musically, the Uşşak, Kürdi, and Hicaz makam dizisis were used extensively; while rhythmic variations such as Devri Hindi, Türk Aksağı, Evfer, Sofyan, and Nim Sofyan were found to provide rhythmic diversity. The bağlama (long and short-necked), as the fundamental instrument of this tradition, is the carrier of both the rhythmic and modal structure. Performance environments were found to be social spaces based on face-to-face communication, such as village meeting rooms, weddings, memorial ceremonies, and gatherings of friends; and audience participation was determined to be an important part of the performance. Furthermore, the master-apprentice relationship emerged as the fundamental mechanism of oral culture transmission. The research concluded that the Afşin minstrel tradition is not merely a local musical practice within Turkish folk music, but rather an important structure that carries cultural memory, transmits social values, and contributes to the richness of Turkish folk music in a musical sense. This tradition was found to create a unique cultural system that combines traditional and local characteristics by holistically utilizing elements of makam dizisi (mode), usul (rhythm), instrument, lyrics, and performance. Thus, Afşin minstrels are considered not only musicians but also important cultural carriers who keep social memory, cultural identity, and oral tradition alive.