The famous all female Chechen group called “Ensemble Aznach” was on stage at an international music festival celebrating the birthday of Rumi in Turkey.

On the evening of September 29, five members of the well-known female Chechen group “Ensemble Aznach”, which resides in the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia, took the stage at the Piri Reis Culture Center in the city of Karaman, Turkey, at the 9th International Mystical Music Festival which was organized to celebrate the 805th birthday of Jalal ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi, also known as Mewlana and Mevlavi, or simply Rumi. He was a Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Makvala Margoshvili, artistic director, and Darejani Margoshvili, Rusudan Phareulidze, Nato Mutoshvili, Eteri Chikhesashvili, the vocalists, drew huge applause.

Recall that the Chechen (Kist) band, “Ensemble Aznach” also performs the Chechen Zikr, which is the traditional prayer ritual as well as deeply melancholic melodies, and dance and work songs. The singers use garmon, dechk-pandir, chonguri and mandalina. The band is well known in the international arena and has participated in many international competitions and festivals.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco