Meykhana — Azerbaijan's Poetic Battle
Long before rap battles, people on the Absheron Peninsula competed in witty improvised rhymes. This is meykhana.
Meykhana is an Azerbaijani musical and poetic genre often compared to rap. Performers take turns improvising rhymed verses over a drum beat or as a spoken chant, answering each other.
Where it came from
Meykhana grew up in the villages of Absheron and was long performed at weddings and friendly gatherings. Wit is everything: rivals pick up a theme, tease each other, and the audience instantly decides who had the better comeback.
How it sounds
Classic meykhana means two or three performers, percussion and sometimes a keyboard. Topics range from love and friendship to everyday life and the news of the day. A good performer keeps dozens of rhymes in mind and builds a reply on the spot.
Meykhana today
The genre is alive: battles go viral online, and meykhana is heard at weddings and on TV. If you don't speak Azerbaijani it's mostly rhythm and energy, but the atmosphere needs no translation.
Curious about Baku's culture? Read our pieces on mugham and folk dances.
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