Davul

The davul (or screw davul) is one of the very oldest instruments, having been used down the ages by the various civilisations of Anatolia, and later by communities in Central Asia. Despite some changes in form and construction technique, the percussion instrument that has come down to the present day ıs actually one of the least altered traditional Turkish musical instruments.

It is one of the fundamental elements of traditional Turkish music, and has been used for a variety of purposes. These include communications by means of local or mehter music, making announcements and issuing warnings. The davul is traditionally associated together with the zurna, although in many places it has also been used on its own, not unlike the meydan sazı.

The davul has gone by a number of names down the years, including; tuğ, tavul, küvrüg, tuvıl and tabl. Davul players have been called ‘tablzen,’ ‘davulzen’ and ‘davulcu.’ The davul was the principle instrument used by shamans, and was and still is used in Turkey at weddings, to wake people so they can eat something before fasting all day, traditional sports and games, horse racing, wrestling matches and festivals.

It has also been used to spread tidings of good news, security matters, war and fire.