According to the booklet that came with a compilation of bard singing from Khorassan,[1] a mountainous region of great ethnic diversity in Northeastern Iran, the rôle of the bard or bakhshi in Central Asia in ancient times fell between those of the shaman healer and the Buddhist priest. In fact, among the Uigurs, the Khazakhs, and the Kirghiz, as well as some other peoples of Turkic origin, the word still means “shaman.” Bakhshi’s instrument of choice is a lute called dotar, literally “two strings.” Similar lutes with different number of strings can be found from China to the Middle East. No prize for guessing the number of strings on a sitar.

Footnotes

1. Paris: Ocora, Radio France, C560136.