Minstrel travels in initiation and maturation processes: Türkiye and Azerbaijan areas

The tradition of minstrelsy is one of the most important oral cultural elements of the Turkish world, especially in Türkiye and Azerbaijan area. This tradition is a rhythmic, poetic and dramatic tradition created by cultural actors who were called shaman/kam/baksı before Islam and who, with a syncretic transition, first evolved into "poet" and then "minstrel" after Islam. Minstrels who are active and dynamic bearers of the tradition based on intrument-lyrics and performance are the cultural memory of national accumulation. This cultural memory has been carried over the centuries by minstrels from geography to geography, from generation to generation. These artists, who learn the art of minstrelsy from their master or who are minstrels with a ritualistic dream, go on trips for various reasons during their initiation and maturation processes. There are many reasons for these travels called minstrel travels such as seeking out the lover with whom he falls in love in his dreams, gaining money and fame, learning the art of minstrelsy by accompanying his master's travel, earning a living by performing his art at weddings, meeting and bicker with other minstrels. Whatever the reason, the most important function of the art of minstrelsy and its reflections in the travels is to preserve, carry, protect, maintain and transfer tradition and cultural memory in communication and interaction processes. Minstrel performs this function through performings wherever he goes, folk songs in these performances, stories and encounters in these performances comparison. The aim of this study is determine the minstrel travels in Türkiye and Azerbaijan area, examine the contribution of the travels to the initiation and maturation processes of the minstrel, examine the purpose-result relations, determine the cultural codes of the structural and linguistic forms and their contribution to the tradition, seek answers to the questions of where and why these travels were made beyond the conversations and bickerings in the minstrel encounters, contexts of these travels, functions of these travels, results of these travels, what changes they caused in the life of the minstrel and society, and open a new window that will convey the cultural background and traditional value system in the background of their stories.