Masters
Söz Ustadı — the masters of the word the genre rests on.
Masters of the word
The professionals of meykhana are called 'Söz Ustadı' — masters of the word. They are improvising poets able to hold a hall, outplay a rival and find the exact rhyme in seconds. Through their voices the genre passed through the whole twentieth century and lives today.
The voices of meykhana
Aliagha Vahid
A classic of Azerbaijani poetry whose verses in the Soviet years sounded like living meykhana and helped preserve the genre.
Aghasalim Childagh
One of those who returned meykhana to the stage after the collapse of the USSR.
Mashadibaba Aydamirov
A recognised performer who stood at the origins of the genre's new flowering.
Nizami Ramzi
The first performer to be heard on national television and in films.
Rashad Daghly
One of the best-known performers of the era of televised duels.
Namiq Garachukhurlu
A popular performer continuing the folk tradition of Absheron.
Aydin Khirdalanly
A well-known improviser, a master of the sharp word and the quick rhyme.
Meykhana is a living genre with dozens of well-known performers; only a few names that shaped its history are mentioned here.