The Shimshal, a flute-like wind instrument, has been used by Kurds and Iranians for thousands of years. It is mostly used by Sufis in their religious ceremonies, but it is a precious instrument for the Yezidi ethnoreligious minority too. Safat Kaniboti, from the village of Kanibot in Erbil’s Barzan area, has been playing the Shimshal for 62 years. "I was a shepherd and used to go to the mountains. I tried a lot to learn how to play Shimshal. I'd play it step by step until I learnt," Safat said. "I was close to people who played the Shimshal and Nay [another flute-like instrument], who knew how to do it. One of my father's cousins was a very skilled player. I'd visit him often so I could learn from him. There are many types of Shimshal. This one is made out of wood... This one is made out of steel. The Shimshal is played at many events, including funerals and religious ceremonies." Safat used to play happy melodies, but says deaths in a series of revolutions in Kurdish history have forced him to play songs of sorrow. "When someone dies, God forbid, or the body of a martyr is returned from the front lines, we play this tune," Safat said.
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