The revival of the kyl-kobyz began not in a workshop, but in an archive. In a situation where the tradition of playing this instrument among the Nogai people had been almost entirely severed and the instrument itself had been pushed out of living practice, Arslanbekk Sultanbekov played a pivotal role. The starting point was a 19th-century photograph from a St. Petersburg museum, which captured an ancient instrument.
It was this archival record that became the foundation for the reconstruction. On Sultanbekov's initiative, a new instrument was commissioned from a craftsman. This was not a stylization or a stage version, but an attempt to come as close as possible to the historical appearance and construction of the kyl-kobyz.
Context was essential. In the 20th century, the bearers of the tradition — baksı and storytellers, performers of the epic "Edige", players of the dombra and kobyz — were subjected to systematic persecution. Instruments were confiscated and destroyed as objects of cult. The sacred status of the kobyz made it one of the primary targets during campaigns against "superstition". As a result, continuity was broken for decades.
In this context, Sultanbekov's actions became an act of cultural restoration. The revived kyl-kobyz began to sound again in his performances, returning to the Nogai musical tradition not as a decorative element, but as a bearer of sacred meaning and historical memory.
Crucially, the process was not limited to the making of an instrument. Revival required the restoration of context: an understanding of the kobyz's role as a mediator between worlds, knowledge of its ritual functions, and mastery of its specific sound production — horsehair strings, the absence of frets, the distinctive technique of touching with the fingernails. Without this, the instrument remains a form without content.
The story of the kyl-kobyz revival demonstrates that the preservation of culture is possible through the concrete action of a single person. An archival photograph became the point of departure, a craftsman the technical executor, and the stage the space of return. Through the efforts of Arslanbekk Sultanbekov, Nogai music has once again found one of its most ancient voices.
It was this archival record that became the foundation for the reconstruction. On Sultanbekov's initiative, a new instrument was commissioned from a craftsman. This was not a stylization or a stage version, but an attempt to come as close as possible to the historical appearance and construction of the kyl-kobyz.
Context was essential. In the 20th century, the bearers of the tradition — baksı and storytellers, performers of the epic "Edige", players of the dombra and kobyz — were subjected to systematic persecution. Instruments were confiscated and destroyed as objects of cult. The sacred status of the kobyz made it one of the primary targets during campaigns against "superstition". As a result, continuity was broken for decades.
In this context, Sultanbekov's actions became an act of cultural restoration. The revived kyl-kobyz began to sound again in his performances, returning to the Nogai musical tradition not as a decorative element, but as a bearer of sacred meaning and historical memory.
Crucially, the process was not limited to the making of an instrument. Revival required the restoration of context: an understanding of the kobyz's role as a mediator between worlds, knowledge of its ritual functions, and mastery of its specific sound production — horsehair strings, the absence of frets, the distinctive technique of touching with the fingernails. Without this, the instrument remains a form without content.
The story of the kyl-kobyz revival demonstrates that the preservation of culture is possible through the concrete action of a single person. An archival photograph became the point of departure, a craftsman the technical executor, and the stage the space of return. Through the efforts of Arslanbekk Sultanbekov, Nogai music has once again found one of its most ancient voices.