The Iconographic Evolution of the Nefir as a Sufi Instrument

Considered to be one of the first instruments, the horn pipe was used in every culture and geography as an instrument that communicated with gods. The sound of this instrument, which consists of emptying a horn, is obtained by blowing through a pointed tip or a hole on the side. These pipes differ from all other instruments by making frightening, disturbing, animalistic sounds. This instrument, which was generally called nefir in the Islamic period, remained in the background with the preference of metal pipes, but it came to the fore again with the widespread use of Sufi schools. In the Turkish-Islamic tradition, the Nefir, who was consecrated in almost all sects, especially the Bektashis, was especially identified with the traveling dervishes. Although it has a limited performance, it is seen that the material, shape and sound properties of the nefir are effective in its blessing as a ritual instrument. These three factors explain the spiritual and inherent qualities of the nefir as well as the material and apparent characteristics. In this context, the material relationship of the nefir with material, shape and sound, Adam, Israfel and Ali; It is possible to read it as a spiritual formula in the form of beginning, end and eternal. In this study, only horn nefir was evaluated, and it was aimed to reveal the iconographic evolution of this instrument, which is one of the important phenomena of Turkish-Islamic Sufi thought, developed around its material, shape and sound features. In this context, written sources and legends have been evaluated, along with some examples of nefir that have survived to the present day, miniature, engraving, drawings and photographs were used as visual material.
Keywords: horn, dragon, Ali, Zulfikar, Adam, Israfel, metamorphosis, transformation.