Ghijak
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The ghijak (also spelled ghidjak, ghichak, gidzhak, gijak, g'ijjak,[1] or ghijek (Uyghur: غىجەك, ғиҗәк, romanized: ghijek, or occasionally Uyghur: غىرجەك, ғирҗәк, romanized: ghirjek; Chinese: 艾捷克 aijieke or 吉孜哈克 jizihake; Russian: Гиджак), is a group of related spike fiddles, used by Afghans, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Tajiks, Turkmens, Qaraqalpaks[2] and in the Xinjiang province of western China. Despite the similarity of the name, it is more closely related to the Persian kamancheh than the ghaychak.
History
The instrument name appears in 10th-century manuscripts, which indicate that the bridge (harrak) was made of almond shells. The ghidjak as depicted in 15th-century Persian miniatures resembles the modern instrument in its construction.[1]
Xinjiang
The ghijek as it is used in Xinjiang has four strings, either with a bowl soundbox (similar to the kamancheh), or with a box soundbox often made from a tin can.[3] One of Xinjiang's most prominent ghijek players is Akram Omar (艾克热木·吾买尔 / ئەكرەم ئۆمەر / Акрам Омар), from Kashgar.video
See also
References
- ^ a b John Baily and Razia Sultanova (2001). "Ghidjak". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ "Ghijak". Aga Khan Development Network. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ "Badakhshani Instruments". Retrieved 2020-08-24.
External links
- Afghan ghaychak (box lute)
- Tajik ghijak (box lute Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
