Kaki Aziz Panahi Tutshami

Another of the noble figures in the field of honouring love and spiritual knowledge, and a servant of truth, is Kaki Aziz Panahi Tutshami. For a long time he has had the good fortune to take up the pen of devotion and servitude, to follow the path of copying the Yari daftars (daftar: the Yarsan sacred books) and to spend his life writing out these precious daftars for the elevation of this sacred faith and for the preservation and spread of the haqqani (sacred) sound of the tanbur, rendering sincere and honest service on this path.

Through the grace and favour of Seyed Brakeh, the pen in his hand has been charged with filling every particle of his being with love of and faith in the precious jewel of the Yarsan community, and – by writing out the Yari daftars at a time when there were hardly any means other than handwriting – with smoothing young people's way to access and knowledge of this precious jewel of Yarsan culture, so that it may enrich the souls of those to come and serve as a model on their path.

Kaki Aziz was born on 10 Dey 1335 SH (31 December 1956) in Gahvareh, Guran. Since 1359 SH (1980/81), with the permission and help of his pir (spiritual guide), Agha Seyed Nasreddin Heydari, he has been copying and collating the Yari daftars; on this path, which by the time of writing spanned nearly 37 years, he has given of himself heart and soul and laid the groundwork for promoting and spreading this rich culture for future generations.

Kaki Aziz was a long-time friend, helper and companion of Seyed Vali Hosseini, the great maqam master and player recognised by the Heydari tekyeh, and had the good fortune to be his student in learning the haqqani maqams (maqam: a traditional melodic piece/mode of the tanbur) of the tanbur; following his predecessors, he has preserved these ancient maqams without alteration, so that they may be a legacy for the young generation of the Yarsan community and for those to come.

He is an able speaker and a great interpreter in explaining and describing the Yari faith; having copied all the Yari daftars many times over, he has a strong command of expressing and using the concepts and terms of the daftars. Besides learning from Seyed Vali, he also benefited greatly from great masters such as Ka Azam Manhuei, Seyed Mahmoud Alavi and Seyed Esmaeil Alavi.

Two of his sons, Kaki Payam and Kaki Peyman, are also good kalam singers (kalam: the sacred hymns of the Yarsan) and tanbur players and follow their father's path. At the time of writing, Kaki Aziz was, as before, serving, teaching and copying the Yari daftars in the town of Gahvareh.

Source: Telegram channel “Navaye Tanbur”, 4 May 2017.