TEHRAN – The Niavaran Cultural Center played host to a joint performance of ashiqlar music by Iranian and Turkish musicians on Saturday.

A unique style of traditional music, Ashiqlar is mainly played in Iran’s Azarbaijan and the Azerbaijan Republic. Ashiq, also spelled ashik and ashug, is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, who blends together instrumental and vocal music, dance, poetry and storytelling in his performances.

Ashiks Mahmut Karatas and Gultekin Bulut from Turkey, as well as Emran Heydari and Mahbub Khalili from Iran made it a truly memorable night for the participants, the center announced in a press release published on Sunday.

Turgay Safak, the managing director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Tehran, made a brief speech at the ceremony and called the festival a good program, which helps develop cultural relations between Iran and Turkey.

Managing Director of Niavaran Cultural Center Abbas Sajjadi, also said that the cultural relations between Iran and Turkey has helped people of the two countries have good relations over history.

“Ashiqlar music is widespread in the country and Iranian ashiqs narrate love and epic stories,” he added.

In addition, President of ECO Cultural Institute (ECI) Iftikhar Husain Arif said that the music of ashiqlar is a traditional art in the region and displays the joint commonalities of the Turkish-speaking people in the region.

The one-night program was arranged by the Yunus Emre Institute in collaboration with the ECO Cultural Institute (ECI).

Photo: Turkish ashiks Mahmut Karatas (L) and Gultekin Bulut perform at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on August 20, 2016. (Honaronline/Hassan Motahhari)

RM/YAW