Sitaar / ستار

36.5000° N 72.4667° E

Broke, Laspur Valley, Upper Chitral

Altitude

7500m above sea level

Gender

44% male

52% female

2% trans

Population

1,625

Almost every household grows apricot trees on their land. While the fruit is consumed in all forms from fresh to dried to making oil from the kernels, the wood of the tree is used to carve out utensils and musical instruments.

There are only two men in the community who undertake wood carving now. The carving is done with care and passion. Sitar makers are known as Sitar sauziyek.

Step 1

After the tree is cut, the clean wood
which is without the knots is marked.

Step 2

Then it is soaked in lukewarm water.

Step 3

The wood is then carved into the
long part of the sitar called the
kambokh. It is then left to dry.

Step 4

The finishing is done using
zairkhan(reti

Step 5

Once dried, ghaaz which is
the chest of sitar is prepared.

Step 6

The strings are then
adjusted and tuned.

A popular folktale around the sitar follows two lovers Yurmanhameen, a boy and Siyaar a girl. Siyaar is married off to someone else and the love stricken Yurmanhameen plays beautifully outside her house every day. Anyone playing beautifully is therefore called Yurmanhameen, the boy in love.

240

hours

approx of summer days.