Tariq Ali Mir
The Kashmiri Saz is more than just a musical instrument — it is a bridge between civilizations, a living remnant of a centuries-old bond between Iran and Kashmir. While its origins trace back to Persia, today the instrument survives in its original, traditional form only in the Kashmir Valley, where it is now breathing its last.
Uniquely, among all the instruments used in Kashmiri music, the Saz stands alone — it is found nowhere else in the world. The people of Kashmir embraced it so completely that it shed its Persian identity and became known solely as the “Saz-e-Kashmir.”
Yet, this heritage faces a grave threat. The decline of the Kashmiri Saz is tied to the waning popularity of Sufi music and the neglect it faces from both audiences and cultural authorities. Unlike other instruments, the Saz has no role outside the Sufi tradition, making its survival even more precarious.
Historians cannot say with certainty when the Saz first arrived from Iran to Kashmir. What is clear is that during the Sultanate era, when the Valley’s social and cultural life absorbed deep influences from Iran and Central Asia, Kashmiri music too was transformed. Out of this cultural mingling emerged a distinct style of Sufi music and several unique instruments — the Saz-e-Kashmir being one of its crown jewels.
Crafting the Saz
Master musician Mushtaq Ahmad Saznawaz explains that the Kashmiri Saz has three main strings, crafted from gut and silk. Gut strings are made by drying goat intestines, while the silk strings are coated with roghan mahi — fish oil — to give them a smooth, resonant tone.
On either side of these main strings are fourteen sympathetic strings — seven on the right, made of steel, and seven on the left, made of German brass. The right-side strings are tuned from Pair to Tair, while the left-side strings are tuned to Sair, creating the deep, meditative resonance so essential to Sufi gatherings.
A Cultural Responsibility
Today, the Kashmiri Saz is more than an instrument — it is a symbol of shared history and artistic exchange between Iran and Kashmir. Preserving it is not just about saving a piece of wood and strings, but about protecting a cultural bridge that has connected hearts for centuries.
If left to fade, the Saz will take with it an irreplaceable chapter of Kashmiri identity. But if nurtured, it will continue to sing the timeless songs of Sufi devotion and cross-cultural harmony for generations to come.
Tariq Ali Mir is a journalist based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, whose reporting focuses on uncovering the region’s history through its ancient heritage, archaeological sites, and historical records