The Museum of Bakhshi stands out among the landmarks of the Turkmen city of Dashoguz. It is the only museum in Turkmenistan – and perhaps in the world – dedicated to the history of the art of storytellers and the art of bakhshi musicians. Established at the dawn of the country’s independence in December 1992, this unique museum has become a center for preserving and promoting the national musical heritage of Turkmen bakhshi art.
While national musical instruments are featured in the exhibitions of many cultural centers across Turkmenistan, the establishment of a specialized museum dedicated to the art of storyteller musicians in the northern region of the country has clear justification. The performance of destans is a distinctive hallmark of this area, which has given rise to many legendary performers whose art is characterized by a harmonious fusion of poetry and prose. Musical accompaniment, combined with the unique expressive narrative style developed by the bakhshi, has made this art an integral part of the national cultural heritage.
In the same region, within the Ruhubelent district, there is the mausoleum of Ashik Aydyn-pir, the patron saint of singers and musicians of the East, along with a mosque built in his honor – a place of pilgrimage for creative individuals. Since ancient times, it has been believed that visiting this mausoleum opens the path into art. A monument dedicated to the dutar, the principal musical instrument of the Turkmen people, stands not far from the shrine.
The Dashoguz region is also home to the house museum of the renowned People’s Bakhshi of Turkmenistan, Makhtumkuli Garlyyev, which holds a wealth of historical and cultural treasures.
The northern region is likewise famous for its traditional schools of instrument-making. For centuries, alongside performers, highly skilled craftsmen specializing in the making of dutars and ghijaks have been held in high esteem. International recognition of the craft of dutar-making, its performance traditions and the art of bakhshi came in 2021, when they were inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
My tour of the Dashoguz Bakhshi Museum was guided by its director Begench Bayramovich Khaknazarov, who has led the institution since 2019 and is himself a well-known bakhshi in the region. In 2000, the museum moved to a new building and now occupies the entire ground floor of a modern residential complex. Its collection now includes 1,754 exhibits, displayed across three halls: Independence, Ethnography and the Hall of Master Mentors. They exhibit national musical instruments – some quite rare – as well as a wide range of materials dedicated to folk song traditions and instrument craftsmanship.
The exhibition begins with a gallery of portraits of renowned bakhshi and musicians of the past. Informational stands recount the creative paths of such celebrated figures as Makhtumkuli Garlyyev, Nazar-baga, and Ore Shikh, along with their followers – Ilman Annaev, Tuyly Otuzov, Bally Myatgeldiyev, and many others who made a significant contribution to the development of regional and national performance traditions.
Here too one can learn about the distinguished female bakhshi of the northern region, Akchagul Myradova and Sulgun Meretgeldiyeva. Their brilliant performances of complex folk compositions often surpassed even famous male performers, confirming legends about women’s exceptional talent in singing and dutar playing.
The museum director points to exhibits illustrating the artistic career of People’s Bakhshi Bally Myatgeldiyev, a prominent representative of a family dynasty of musicians. His father and grandfather were renowned ghijak players in the region, and today his artistic legacy continues through his students, children and grandchildren – many of whom have become notable musicians and performers of destans.
The museum carefully preserves and studies its thematic materials. The numerous exhibits include bibliographic and archival documents, books and publications, an extensive collection of rare photographs, vinyl records from the 1950s–60s, recordings of performances by celebrated bakhshi and a unique collection of handcrafted works by artisans. The legendary film “The Contest” (1963) by Bulat Mansurov on Nurmurat Sarykhanov’s story “Shukur Bakhshi” is one of the most popular items in the museum’s film archive.
Much of the collection consists of antique and modified dutars, ghijaks, gopuzes, and tuyduks—around fifty instruments in total. Most are authentic XX century pieces that are still in use today. Examining this collection allows one to trace the history of Turkmen musical culture, while researchers can identify shared origins among instruments found across various cultures of the East.
An ethnographic workshop is also part of the museum space. Visitors can view the tools used to create musical instruments and even try them themselves. Among the exhibits is a set of tools for making dutars, donated by the renowned modern craftsman Atamurad Hekimov.
The museum director explains that crafting a dutar is a refined and complex art. “A well-made dutar can sing for centuries. It can produce any melody, despite having only two strings. In the past, the strings were made of silk. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that they were replaced with metal. Our collection includes a wide variety of dutars, including modern orchestral ones, and it began with two ancient instruments gifted by bakhshi from Mary. No two dutars here are alike – they are all unique works marked by individual craftsmanship.”
In the ethnographic hall, the interior of a Turkmen yurt has been recreated, along with a traditional carpet-covered platform (topchan), traditionally used for bakhshi performances.
A particular pride of the museum is its collection of ancient musical instruments, many of which were brought back from ethnographic expeditions. Among the oldest is the jurlevik, a hunter’s flute used to imitate the sounds of birds and animals. Another rare exhibit is a 45-year-old ghijak that once belonged to the renowned musician, Begjan Khaljanov.
The museum’s collection is regularly replenished with new materials, including photographs and recordings of performances of Turkmen epic poetry and destans, as well as songs based on the poetry by Magtymguly Fraghi, Seydi, Zelili, Kemine and Mollanepes – figures of the golden treasury of national culture. Many new exhibits are donated by admirers of bakhshi art. Works by local master instrument-makers also regularly find their place in the museum.
The Dashoguz Museum of Bakhshi is a living, creative space. Around ten permanent exhibitions are always on display, including sections dedicated to women storytellers, instrumentalists and folk singers. They span more than a century of the development of the region’s vocal and musical traditions, making it possible to trace the evolution of the genre.
Beyond its exhibition activities, the museum is actively engaged in educational and outreach work. It regularly hosts a variety of cultural and educational events, meetings and musical performances. The museum’s collection attracts not only musicologists, ethnographers, local historians and connoisseurs of musical instruments, but also all those interested in the history and culture of Turkmenistan.
The museum team plans to further promote the national musical and poetic art at both regional and international levels. This important mission is supported by numerous events held throughout the year, which the museum traditionally organizes in close collaboration with both renowned bakhshi musicians and their younger counterparts.
In late March 2026, the museum hosted participants of the bakhshi destanchi festival held in Dashoguz. This art forum aimed at the further study, preservation and promotion of unique performance traditions in the modern era, bringing together cultural figures from all regions of the country, representatives of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO and art scholars. Among the participants were renowned master performers, their young and talented students, as well as destanchi and popular folk singers from all regions and the city of Ashgabat. The participants viewed the exhibition of the unique Bakhshi Museum with great interest and used its space for an impromptu concert.
Despite the overall unity of a cohesive national culture, each region of the country retains its own distinctive cultural code and a unique pattern woven into the rich fabric of the Turkmen people’s spiritual heritage. For example, the performance style of the Dashoguz bakhshi is unmistakable.
In striving to convey the full spectrum of emotions embodied by the heroes of ancient epics, a destanchi is capable of evoking in both himself and his audience a wide range of deep and powerful feelings – from profound sorrow to moments of exaltation and even ecstasy. This is yet another miracle created by the creative genius of the Turkmen people.
The programme of the most recent festival included a thematic exhibition and a scientific and practical conference devoted to the history and continuity of bakhshi traditions, as well as to the development of the destanchi musical language. Particular attention was paid to the traditions of mentorship. Bakhshi performers demonstrated their mastery and interpretative traditions in performing destans, as well as songs based on the lyrical poetry of outstanding Turkmen poets. Young bakhshi received master classes from experienced mentors.
The development of epic folk traditions in Turkmenistan stands as a testament to the people’s enduring devotion to their roots and traditions preserved across the centuries. The art of the bakhshi, shaped over time and, equally important, preserved in its original form, appears to be woven from centuries old artistic traditions that continue to find expression today in living performance practice.