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MeykhanaMeyxana · Absheron
RUAZENHE
The folk word of Absheron

Meykhana

The Azerbaijani folk 'rap': improvisation, rhythm and a sharp word, born on the streets of Baku and Absheron.

HistoryHow it works
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What meykhana is

A word born of rhythm

Meykhana (Azerbaijani: meyxana) is a distinctive Azerbaijani genre at the meeting of poetry and music: rhythmic, most often improvised speech performed by one or more poets over a beat. It is called the 'Azerbaijani rap' — for its rhyme, rhythm and rivalry.

The home of meykhana is Baku and Absheron. It is an art of the sharp word and the quick mind: meykhana performers weave rhymes on a given theme off the cuff, often competing with one another. This site is about how meykhana arose, how it works, who its masters are and why it sounds everywhere once again.

In brief

Meykhana in a few strokes

Absheroncradle of the genre
1940–91banned in the USSR
2+poets in a deyishme
Söz Ustadımaster of the word
Sections

Facets of the genre

I

History

From pre-revolutionary Baku through the ban to revival.
II

The Art

Improvisation, the deyishme duel, rhythm and percussion.
III

Masters

Söz Ustadı — masters of the word, from Vahid to today.
IV

Today

Weddings, television, the internet and a link to rap.
Meykhana is when thought keeps up with the rhythm.
On the genre
The people's word

The voice of the street and the feast

Meykhana has always been the voice of the people: at weddings and in courtyards, in jest and in argument. Sharp, rhythmic and clear to everyone, it speaks of love, of life and of the times — in the language of the street.

How it works

This site is cultural and educational. Atmospheric images are created with AI (no real faces); photos of instruments are from Wikimedia Commons.