Dotar Structure
As mentioned above, the dotar instrument is a wound string instrument and consists of three main parts: the handle, the strings, and the resonant bowl. The resonant bowl is pear-shaped. The body is made of a combination of lime, apricot, or walnut wood. The threads are made of silk. The length of the handle is about 60 cm. They do not use Mezrab to play the dotar and it is played with nails. In some parts of the country including northern Khorasan cities such as Quchan, Bojnourd, Shirvan, Esfarayen, Farouj, Dargaz, Ashkhaneh, southern and eastern cities of Khorasan such as Torbat Jam, Taybad, Torbat Heydariyeh, Neishabour, Ferdows, Birjand, Bajestan, Bardaskan, Ghaenat, Kashmar, Bakhrez, Khaf, Sarakhs, Gonabad and Sabzevar and the Turkmen cities of Golestan province and Aliabad Katoul and cities of Mazandaran province, Dotar has more fans and is used in the local music of these areas. Among the most famous Iranian dotar players, we can mention Seyyed Jalaluddin Ashtiani, Ahmad Gholi Ahmadi, Ismail Sattarzadeh, Mohammad Ismailzadeh, Ashour Goldi Barzin, Ali Asghar Bayani, Zolfaghar Bitaneh, Gholam Ali Pourataei, Tahmours Pournazeri and ...