Sûret | Faces and Images
Sakîna Têyna, June 2026
1 Neyarê Bedewîyê
2 Biyan
3 Jin jiyan Azadî
4 Car Cara
5 Ez son
6 Xewn
7 Bêrîvan
8 Sûret
9 Ti Nêzana
Sakîna Têyna –Gesang
Mahan Mirarab –Gitarre
Dalina Ugarte –Violine
Nora Romannof Schwarzberg –Viola
Ivan Turkalj –CelloMarko Ferlan –Kontrabass
Amir Wahba –Perkussion
Misagh Joolaee –Kamancheh (track 4)
Arrangements & Musikalische Leitung: Mahan Mirarab
Sakîna Têyna: Sûret | Faces and Images
by Sakîna Têyna
Sakîna Têyna was born into a Kurdish Alevi family in the small town of Varto, Turkey. As a teenager, she began singing with Turkish choirs and bands, but it was not until she entered university that she became acquainted with Kurdish musical traditions and set out to resist cultural assimilation. In 1991, she joined the Mesopotamian Cultural Centre in Istanbul, an organization dedicated to promoting Kurdish culture, as a vocalist. Like many other Kurdish musicians, she was forced to practice her music underground and soon had to choose political activism over her artistic career.
It was not until Sakîna arrived in Austria as a political refugee in 2006 that she was able to pursue singing full-time once again. The first result of this renewed creative focus was her debut solo album, ROYÊ MI.
Sakîna joined forces with pianist Nazê Îşxan and violinist Nurê Dilovanî to form the all-female TRIO MARA, drawing on traditional Kurdish songs that had been preserved and passed down from generation to generation by women, while enriching the repertoire with influences from Western classical music and contemporary styles.
Since 2013, Sakîna has also performed with the ANADOLU QUARTETT, touring extensively throughout Austria and Germany. In addition, she founded the Vienna-based ensemble Sakina & Friends, bringing together musicians from Iran, Spain, Austria, and Turkey. The ensemble performs regularly across Austria, while Sakîna continues to collaborate on numerous album projects and concert productions, actively supporting fellow artists through her work.
“Sûret” is the story of a photograph, of a face. It is a story that whispers the silent tales of the faces hanging on the walls of almost every home in Kurdistan, or hidden away in the quiet pages of family photo albums.
Some people visit the world only briefly. They depart before dawn breaks, before their names are widely spoken, before their faces become etched into the memories of others. There are faces that never had the chance to leave their mark on the world. Yet, in the hearts and minds of those they left behind, they live on through countless moments, countless connections, and countless images. Their unfinished stories cast longer shadows than their years should ever have allowed.
For many years, Kurdistan has been a land of premature departures. Every loss has left not only an empty space but also deep wounds and lasting scars. This album gives voice to those who departed too soon—to the voices that were lost to silence.
Sûret was born from the mourning of faces frozen in time. Faces that will never grow older, faces that will forever remain the age they were when their photographs were taken.
Sustained by promises made to them, by shared memories, by hopes that continue to breathe, and by an enduring resistance to oppression, they remain alive in perpetuity.
The purpose of Sûret is to transform these vanished faces into words and melodies. It seeks to preserve the fading echoes of memory, creating a lasting space where listening can replace seeing, and music can speak where silence once prevailed.
Moving between voices, faces, and photographs—between past and present—this musical journey was brought to life through the dedication, generosity, and creativity of many remarkable people. Sûret is the result of a long artistic process shaped by friendship, collaboration, and the invaluable contributions of everyone who helped bring this work into being.