Dombyra is one of the most important symbols of Kazakh culture: “nağyz qazaq, qazaq emes, nağyz qazaq – dombyra”. The sacredness of this musical instrument is emphasised by its construction. The three parts of the dombyra (body -base – head) represent in popular imagination the model of the universe: the upper, middleand lower worlds. The sounds of the dombyra are a revelation, and the playing itself is a journey into these worlds. Thus, the dombyra is the embodiment of the world order, a carrier of pure energies, and the one who plays it maintains the balance of cosmic forces and unites the cosmos, nature and man in harmonious unity.
The dombyra is a living instrument: musicians call it “deidi”, “dedi”, “degen eken” (she speaks, she said). There are many epithets: “the queen of Kazakh musical instruments”, “the heart and soul of Kazakhs”, “the cradle of Kazakh nomads”, “a faithful companion of the Kazakh people”, “the life and breath of the Kazakh people”. In people’s consciousness, the Dombyra expresses love, love of life; love of the earth, the sky, the sun, the universe, the cosmos; natural inspiration; harmony of the inner world; the history of the Kazakh people; the culture of the Kazakh people; the wisdom of centuries and centuries; the sounding history of nomadic tribes; a sensitive instrument that reflects all shades of sounds of nature and human conditions. The dombyra is always kept in an honourable place in the house.
