The tradition of being a gazelkhan in Erzurum region in terms of socioculture

Ghazal, which is one of the oral music genres of Turkish music, is also a literary form of verse. Ghazals sung between chapters in Turkish Classical Music are also included in Turkish Folk Music literature and are performed in different regions. In terms of literature, ghazal, which is defined as a genre in Divan Literature, also finds its counterpart in Folk Literature and can be seen in different genres. In this study, it has been tried to determine the literary and musical situation of the Erzurum gazelkhanate tradition. The performance of the ghazal, which is the subject of different disciplines and genres, in Erzurum region and the definition of the performance environments and the tradition of the ghazalkhanate; It is thought that the results of this study, which aims to determine the historical, philosophical, social and cultural situation, will contribute to the literature and subsequent research. The originality of the determinations made and the results reached regarding this ancient tradition reveals the importance of the research. This research was handled with a qualitative approach and a case study was used as a method. Data was obtained by using literature review, observation and interview, content analysis, musical analysis and sensory analysis methods. In the research, semi-structured interviews were applied to the study group. The study group of the research consists of 14 people from Erzurum region gazelhans, 1 TRT Erzurum Radio THM retired vocalist and 1 Urfa region gazelhan. As a result, Erzurum ghazals are sufiyane (arifāne) ghazals, the majority of ghazals are affiliated with the sect, the ghazals that were originally sung for dhikr and conversation environments in dervish lodges were adopted as the culture of the region over time, and Erzurum ghazals are largely similar to the maqams and frequency of use used in the folk music of the region. It has been determined that the ghazals have contributed to the musical culture of the region, that the ghazals have characteristics specific to the region in terms of their performance style, the environments in which they are performed, the way they are performed and their purpose. Keywords: Ghazalkhanate Tradition, Ghazal, Erzurum, Culture, Sufism.