Azerbaijani horse-riding game added to UN cultural heritage list

An Azeri horse-riding game called chovqan has been added to a United Nations listing of traditional practices inwards request of urgent protection.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, together with Cultural Organization (Unesco) decided to add together chovqan to its Intangible Cultural Heritage listing at a coming together inwards the Azeri capital, Baku, on Dec 3.

The determination was made during the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Chovqan is a shape of polo. It was in i lawsuit pop amid Azeri nomads riding Karabakh horses. It is played yesteryear 2 competing teams of 5 riders, often played to the background of instrumental folk music called janghi.

Chovqan is commonly played inwards western, northwestern, key together with eastern regions of Azerbaijan. However, the game is weakening due to “socio-economic factors leading to a shortage of players, trainers, together with Karabakh horses”, the commission said.

Chovqan has been played since ancient times. It got its mention from the give-and-take chovqan (or ‘chovgan’, ‘chomakh’) referring to a bow-tipped stick used yesteryear shepherds together with Equus caballus herd keepers inwards the past.

Being the primary tool inwards directing the herds of sheep, horses or other animals, it was afterward used to boot a sheepskin ball inwards pairs together with later, inwards teams.

Today, the game is played yesteryear 2 competing teams of players, called tagyms, on a apartment grassy champaign 200 metres long together with 120 metres wide.

Each squad is composed of 5 (rarely six) horsemen together with i inwards reserve.

A squad of 5 players has 2 fullbacks together with 3 forwards. In representative of half dozen players, each squad has 2 fullbacks, i halfback together with 3 forwards.

Chovqan is regulated yesteryear 3 rider-referees (one principal referee together with 2 side referees), commonly chosen amid the most experienced players.

At the field’s reverse ends, players laid 2 goals 3 metres broad together with depict a 6 metres long semicircle punishment line.
Players purpose specific wooden mallets (chovqans), prepared from elm, pomegranate, mulberry, cornel or hornbeam tree wood.

During the game, players endeavour to get a pocket-size leather or wooden ball into the opponent’s goal, amongst the aid of the mallets. The game is 2 halves of fifteen minutes each, amongst a 10 infinitesimal break.

A chovqan game or contest is commonly accompanied yesteryear music performed on folk instruments such equally zurna (pipe), saz (breast-held string instrument), nagara together with def (drums). This instrumental folk music is played at the starting fourth dimension together with at the destination of the game, together with sometimes after each goal scored.

Chovqan players together with trainers consists of local manful someone farmers who accept other primary activities together with play it equally an amateur activeness only.

The noesis most chovqan, its specific rules, skills together with techniques are transmitted from experienced players to beginners yesteryear give-and-take of rima oris through collective preparation held amid players at local farms together with neighboring equestrian facilities.

The Karabakh horses on which the sport is played are notable for a compact body, medium summit together with agility. The horses are non real tall (around 144-154cm), well-muscled together with accept rigid together with brusque legs together with hooves.

Chovqan games are held today inwards the framework of an annual contest inwards Sheki and, real rarely, at diverse local folk festivities.

They commonly lure dozens of people of all ages who come upward to lookout adult man the traditional game together with back upward their teams.

Both for the audience together with the practitioners, chovqan is said to stand upward for a business office of the country’s national living heritage. It strengthens the feeling of identity, rooted inwards nomadic culture.

For Chovqan players, the game is non merely a physical exercise inherited from their ancestors: they say that the game reinforces the feeling of cultural belonging, makes them Pb a salubrious manner of life, accomplish harmony amongst horses together with develop determination inwards their characters.

Chovqan was oftentimes practised from the belatedly ninth to the belatedly 19th centuries at diverse folk festivities together with also equally a business office of amusement of local nobility.

Since the belatedly 19th century, a serial of factors accept express its practise together with transmission, such equally demise of outstanding players together with loss of skilful trainers, urbanisation together with distancing of Chovqan players from traditional places of practice.

This has seen chovqan neglected equally an intangible heritage tradition. There is also a serious shortage of horses of the Karabakh breed. As a result, the publish of chovqan practitioners together with frequency of practise of chovqan games accept substantially decreased.

Alongside rare folk festivity occasions, today the game is goodness mainly in i lawsuit a twelvemonth during an annual chovqan contest inwards Sheki. This contest was started yesteryear the Ministry of Culture together with Tourism equally a mensurate to back upward the Chovqan viability.

 

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