Kaleybar
38°51′43″N 47°02′32″E / 38.86194°N 47.04222°E
Kaleybar (كليبر; also Romanized as Kalībar, Kalipar, Keleibar, and Keleivar)[1] is the capital city of Kaleybar County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The county is known as Qaradağ region by the local population. At the 2006 census, its population was 9,030 in 2,397 families.[2] The isolated town is surrounded by steep green mountains, the peaks of which are often shrouded in thick mist (for a fine description of the town's landscape from a westerner's point of view see[3]). The city has become a tourist detination in recent years thanks to the proximity to Babak Castle.[4] In 1998-2006 period the castle considered a shrine for the Azeri nationalist movement.[5] This was inspired by reference to a revolt by Babak Khorramdin in 816 AD against Islamic Caliphate. Babak's resistance was ended in 836 when he was defeated by an Iranian General acting on behalf of the Caliphate.[6]
Language
The spoken language in Kaleybar is the Azeri dialect of Turkish. Tough, until late seventies the older residents of some neighboring villages (Çaykändi, Kälasor, Xuynärod, Arazin) spoke Tati language,[7] there is no evidence that Tati was ever spoken in Kaleybar. A cleric, the late Haji Mohammad Zakeri, told that the name Kaleybar was indeed a Tati word, meaning a town on rocks. Kaleybar region with mountainous terrain, shepherding and cultivation of hillside possess the isolating features for the development of a sophisticated whistled language.[8] The majority of males are able, and perhaps addicted, to masterfully mimic the melodic sounds of musical instruments using fingerless whistle.Melodic whistling, indeed, appears to be a private version of the Ashug music for personal satisfaction.
Zoğal; the symbolic fruit of Kaleybar
The micro-climate, generated by the surrounding mountains, is particularly suited for the production of zoğal (Cornus mas, Persian: زغال اخته, Turkish:Kızılcık). The berries, ripen in mid to late summer, are sold in numerous small shops alongside the Shahid Ansari Street. The smell of fermenting dark ruby-red fruits and the sight of menacing wasps perching on them is a vivid mental imagery a tourist may get as a life long pleasant impression. The local, though, would cherish the landscape of their town mingled with the vivid yellow blossoming zoğal trees in early spring.
The surplus berries will be sun-dried on flat roof tops and sold to the market as an ingredient of Erişte Aşı (Persian: آش رشته). Unfortunately, the local version of this thick soup is not offered in restaurants.
Music
A century long autocratic nation building policies of central governments in Iran has succeeded in cultural assimilation in the favor of a government sanctioned culture. The policy’s guideline book, Shahname, is riddled with epics describing eternal struggle of Farsi speaking Iranians against Turkish invaders of central Asian steppes. There is no wander if the policy’s toil on the cultural heritages of Turkish speaking Azerbaijan has been the heaviest. For instance, the Capital city, Tabriz, has nearly become devoid of its once characteristic cultural identity. The mountainous region of Qaradağ, however, has escaped the demise due to its remoteness and inaccessibility. Many elements of the indigenous culture, particularly local music, have survived to the present day. More recently a slow but persistent cultural revival has been in progress and this is more conspicuous in the case of Ashugh music.
The Ashug music, throughout its long history, has been associated with nomadic life in mountainous regions. However, despite the ongoing embracing of settled life by the majority of the wandering tribes, the Ashugh music is thriving as ever, keeping up its dominance in the county and even is becoming the symbol for identity of Azeri people. The characteristic aspect of the Ashugh music is its frequent allusions to a mountain with the intention of arousing an emotional state with a tone of mild melancholy in a listener. The first verses of a contemporary Ashug song, composed by Məhəmməd Araz, may well represent the essence of Ashugh music.
Bəlkə bu yerlərə birdə gəlmədim (I may not come to these mountains again)
duman səlamət qal dağ səlamət qal (Farewell to the Mist and to the mountain)
arxamca su səpir göydə bulutlar (Clouds sprinkle drops of rain)
leysan səlamət qal yağ səlamət qal (Farewell to summer days, farewell to the rain)
Aşıq Hoseyn Javan, born in Oti Kandi near Kaleybar, is the legendary Ashik who was exiled to Soviet Union due to his revolutionary songs during the brief reign of Azerbaijan People's Government following the World War II. Hoseyn Javan's music, in contrast to the contemporary poetry in Iran, emphasizes on realism and highlights the beauties of real life. One of Hoseyn's songs, with the title "Kimin olacaqsan yari, bəxtəvər?", is among the most famous Ashugh songs.
Religion
The dominant religion is Shia Islam. However, followers of Yârsân or Ahl-e Haqq consitute an appreciable minority in the town and the surrounding villages. Dr. Mohamad Ali, the only physician of the town until 1970s, was a member of Bahaii faith.
summer camp of Arasbaran Tribes
The mountain ranges south-west of Kaleybar are still used as summer camp of pastoralists belonging to Arasbaran Tribes. This provides an opportunity for observing the relaxed idyllic life style of bygone times. Pastoralists, despite their simple life style during summer months, are often well-educated folks and own modern dwelling in their winter quarters. They, generally, welcome visitors as long as their cultures and mode of life is not ridiculed. The visit should me made on sunny days when the shepherd dogs feel lethargic. During foggy days and between dusk and down dogs regain their vicious character; strangers have to avoid crossing campsite otherwise the attacking dogs cannot be controlled even by their owners. Fending off the dogs by beating is considered an act of aggression towards the owner and should be avoided.
References
- ↑ Kaleybar can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3069124" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
- ↑ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)" (Excel). Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ↑ J. Maslin, Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran, 2009, Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
- ↑ Andrew Burke, Iran, Lonely planet, 2010, page 159.
- ↑ Gilles Riaux, Ethnicité et nationalisme en Iran: la cause azerbaïdjanaise, KARTALA 2012, p. 246-
- ↑ K. Farrokh, Iran at War: 1500-1988, 2011, Osprey Publishing
- ↑ E. Yarshater, Iranian Languages and Texts from Iran and Turan, edited by Maria Macuch, Mauro Maggi, Werner Sundermann, 2007, page 443.
- ↑ J.Meyer, Bioacoustics of human whistled languages: an alternative approach to thecognitive processes of language, Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências,76, 405-412, (2004)
External links
- "Kaleybar, Iran" Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
- کلیبر:Persian Wikipedia
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