Mazandaran Music in Iran

Mazandaran has a varied traditional music culture that includes songs and instrumental and ceremonial music. Rhythm is usually simple in songs, which include katuli that is most common around the town of Aliabad-e Katul; the song is sometimes said to be sung when people take a catouli cow out to graze. Because the song was originally sung while walking and working, it often has syllables such as the jana, hey oraye added, to allow the singer to breathe while working (a work song). Another kind of song is known as the kaleh haal (or kal kaal or Leili's lover). The term kaleh haal may refer to its shortness of length (kale haal means short present) or to its common wingers, housewives who sang it while cooking with a kaleh, a type of oven. Amiri songs usually use long poems written by Amir Pazevari, a legendary poet from Mazandaran.

A type of song is known as najma, which describes the love between Prince Najmedin of the Fars area and a girl named Ranaa. The najma is famous throughout Iran, adapted for the local cultures. The Charvadars are an ancient class of merchants who sold commodities abroad for a local village; their songs are called charvadari. In contrast to most Mazandarani music, charvadari has a prominent rhythm, which may be because it was often sung on horseback.