The tradition of minstrelsy in the Kahramanmaraş-Afşin region

The minstrel tradition that has come under the name of Ozanlık from Central Asia to today; It is an important tradition of Turkish Music culture, which also contains literary and musical features. Minstrelsy tradition continues from the father to the son or in the master-apprentice relationship, it continues its development and ensures its continuation. It is important because of the fact that the tradition in Turkish folk music is not transferred from the past to the present and from the periods when notation concept in Turkish Music has not been established until today. It is known that the lovers, which are one of the most important branches of the Turkish Folk Music from the past to the present with their melody, rhythmic and vocal elements, shed light on the future. It is thought that the lovers of Kahramanmaraş-Afşin region are the ones who shed light on the future by continuing this tradition and their lives, artist personalities and works are of great importance. This research is descriptive and focuses on due diligence. In the research, the transition stages in the cultivation of the lovers were mentioned and then digital and written sources were searched to identify the poems of the lovers and the works that were recorded in the TRT Turkish Folk Music repertoire. In this context, Afşin Âşıklik tradition has been examined. Personal interviews were conducted with the field research to be carried out in Kahramanmaraş-Afşin district with the close circles of the lovers, and sensitivity was expressed to express the research more clearly. In line with this research, the lives, works and poems of the lovers were tried to be understood and the region of Kahramanmaraş-Afşin was understood. If some of the results obtained will be listed, it has been concluded that the tradition of minstrels in Kahramanmaraş-Afşin region has its own characteristics, that the lovers of the region exhibit similar characteristics with the minstrel tradition in our country, they prefer to connect them as instrumentation while performing their art, and discuss the events experienced as subjects in their works. Keywords: Kahramanmaraş, Minstrel, Afşin, Cultural identity, Tradition