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ĀSIK TRADITION
An Āsik (Ashik) is a traveling bard in Turkey and neighboring eastern countries who sings and plays the saz. Their songs are traditionally semi-improvised on common bases. They played a major role in the continuation of the oral tradition, promoting the culture and the communal value system of their people. The ancient ashiks were also called dede or ozan (uzan-poet).
The famous epic story of the Oghuz Turks, the Dede Korkut tales, is in its current written form a product of a long series of ashiks from the ninth to 16th centuries when finally two drafts were written. The same applies to the epic of Manas, which recites the life and struggles of Manas and his descendents to unite the Kyrgyz groups and become independent from the Uyghurs. According to sources it dates back to 15th century but did not gain written form until 1885. So the poem, which has 500,000 lines, was transferred from generation to generation for four centuries through ashiks.
in later years the tradition saw famous names like Ahmet Yesevi, Yunus Emre and Mevlana in the 12th and 13th centuries, Kaygusuz Abdal in the 14th century, Haci Bayram Veli in the 15th century, Pir Sultan Abdal, Karacaoglan and Āsik Hasan in the 17th century, Emrah, Āsik Senlik, Āsik Summani in the 18th and 19th centuries. Of course in later centuries, when their work could be written, ashiks were in a sense converted into folk poets.
The tradition has always been stronger in Kars than in other cities in Turkey. Of the 450 ashiks that can be listed in Turkey today, nearly 100 were born in Kars. Āsik Senlik, Āsik Murat Cobanoglu and Āsik Seref Tasliova are among the more popular names. After the death of Asik Murat Cobanoglu, an Āsik festival has been organized in Kars in his name for the last three years. As part of the festival, competitions are held in various categories - retort, riddle, eulogy, folk songs, stories, epic poems and requiems - to maintain the tradition.
A musical meeting at the Āsik Festivities Culture and Solidarity Association.  Photograph: Ertugrul Erdem
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