Iranian bagpipers gathered in Bushehr for the week-long contest - with Mohsen Sharifan (standing front right)
| It's finally here! International Bagpipe Day 2015! A lot is happening all over the world (have a look at the previous blog entrance for more detail or the International Bagpipe Day page) from Belarus to the USA, Hungary to the UK and Germany to Canada... But today's special feature goes to Mohsen Sharifan who gathered as many Iranian pipers as possible in Bushehri despite struggling with opposition. Indeed, we were told that Mohsen has been playing the bagpipes for 22 years but has not been able to perform in his home town, Busher, for the last 16 years. This year's bagpipe competition, which he organised in celebration of International Bagpipe Day, has defied all previous opposition and showcased the beautiful instrument that Sir William Ouseley had already described in his travels to Persia from 1810 to 1812. |  We wish the Iranian ney-aban players a great International Bagpipe Day from all around the world! Make sure you have a look at the wonderful pictures that were taken this week during the competition. Make sure you watch their feature video of the gathering. And greetings from the IBO! |