I was born in Ahvaz, Iran, and I have been playing the Daf for about eighteen years. For me, the Daf has always been a means of expressing an inner surge , a kind of hidden energy and feeling that finds its voice through rhythm.

The sources of inspiration in my Daf playing can be summarized in three main areas: First, the maqam-based music of Kurdistan, where deep and repetitive rhythmic structures create a sense of focus, immersion, and collective experience. For me, these maqams are not only musical patterns, but also an emotional and cultural language rooted in everyday life and ritual traditions. Second, “khanqahi” (خانقاهی, Sufi lodge ) and Sufi music, a space in which rhythm acts as a bridge between movement, remembrance (ذکر , “dhikr”, remembrance of Allah), and inner experience. In this tradition, the Daf goes beyond being an instrument and becomes a means of connecting the body and meaning, serving a path of contemplation and spiritual practice. Third, Zurkhaneh music, a tradition that, for me, represents ancient Persian culture and the concept of javanmardi, chivalry and spiritual strength. Here, music is deeply intertwined with movement and physical practice, forming a unique combination of rhythm, body, and ethics. In my view, this connection between music, ritual movement, and human values is something rarely found in other forms of sport.

For me, Zurkhaneh music is a kind of convergence between Daf rhythm, ritual movement, and collective energy, a space in which music and the body are inseparable, creating a unified experience. For this reason, I became deeply interested in reinterpreting and performing the old Zurkhaneh maqams and traditional rhythmic patterns that have been preserved in this practice on the Daf. Through my exploration, I realized that many Daf rhythms share deep similarities with Zurkhaneh rhythms, revealing an old and meaningful connection between these two traditions within Iranian culture. This insight encouraged me to reinterpret these rhythms more fully on the Daf. I found that the Daf has a strong capacity to express these patterns, and this led me to pursue this work as a new and creative approach in my practice.