Abdullah Papur

Abdullah Papur — Biography

Abdullah Papur was a folk minstrel (ozan) from the Sivas region, known for his folk songs, deyiş and long-form ballads (uzun hava). He performed in both Turkish and Kurdish and was affectionately called simply "Papur". His best-known song is Çift Camlardan Ses Gelmiyor, and his name is still linked to it and to the many albums he released; his son Ercan Papur carries on his tradition as a folk singer and saz player.

Born in the Divriği district of Sivas, Papur grew up in the village of İğdeli, in Kangal. His father was also a minstrel around Sivas, so he entered the tradition young and learned the saz early. His verses dealt with poverty, separation, life far from home, migration from village to city and social problems. He sang in Kurdish, with songs such as Lê Lê Qurban, Dîloy Dîloy, Bardê and Sallana Sallana, and worked with minstrels such as Mahzuni Şerif and Muhlis Akarsu. Gülizar Geçti, a song addressed to his wife, is among the more personal pieces in his repertoire.

In the late 1980s his song Gardiyan was cited on political grounds and he served two years in prison, where he went on writing new pieces. He had six children. He died in 1989.