The tulum (Lazuri: guda) is the iconic bagpipe of the eastern Black Sea coast and one of the most recognisable sounds of Lazistan. Unlike the Scottish bagpipe, the tulum has no drone: it uses two parallel melody pipes, which give it a continuous, buzzing, deeply rhythmic voice that can drive dancers for hours.

How it is made

The instrument is built from a whole goat or sheep skin, cleaned and cured for several days in a mixture of water, corn flour, yoghurt and salt. A double melody pipe (the cifte), carved from boxwood and pierced with finger holes, is fixed to one leg of the skin; a simple blowpipe with a leather valve is tied to the other. The player inflates the bag under one arm and squeezes it steadily to keep the sound unbroken.

The heartbeat of Laz celebration

The tulum is inseparable from the horon, the fast circle dance of the Black Sea. At weddings, highland festivals and village gatherings it sets the relentless tempo that dancers follow shoulder to shoulder. It is often joined by the kemence, a three-stringed fiddle, and at larger events by the davul and zurna.

The instrument is not Laz alone: it is shared by the Hemshin, the Black Sea Turks and the Pontic Greeks, making it a common cultural thread across the whole region. Musicians such as Birol Topaloglu have devoted their careers to recording and reviving traditional tulum repertoire before it disappears.

Recognised heritage

The craft of making and playing the regional bagpipe is inscribed by UNESCO on its list of intangible cultural heritage, a sign of how central this humble goatskin instrument is to the identity of the communities that play it.

Learn more: Tulum (bagpipe) on Wikipedia and the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Header photo: Laz musician Birol Topaloglu playing the tulum, by Macukali, CC BY-SA 4.0.