This early XX century postcard captures a group of Caucasian musicians — sazandars, folk performers and keepers of the musical traditions of Eastern Transcaucasia.
The term “sazandar” comes from the Persian word sazanda, meaning “one who plays the saz (a string instrument),” and usually referred to an ensemble consisting of a singer and instrumentalists accompanying his performance.
Such ensembles could often be heard at weddings, folk festivals, teahouses, and city gardens.
The music of the sazandars united different peoples of the region — Azerbaijanis, Armenians, and Georgians.
In the photograph, four musicians dressed in traditional robes and fur papakhas are seated on chairs against a garden backdrop, holding their instruments: the tar (a lute-like plucked instrument), the kamancheh (a bowed instrument with a rounded body), the daf (a large frame drum), and the naghara (a pair of drums).