This study, aims to examine the similarities and differences between Bayat‑i Şiraz -one of the traditional opening modes performed by tar players in the Azerbaijani mugam tradition-and the Nihavend makam of Turkish classical music. The comparison is carried out through the modal analysis of six works composed for the tar in the Bayat‑i Şiraz mode. Although the composers of two of these works remain unknown (anonymous), they were included in the analysis due to their presence in tar method books and their established role within the tar performance tradition.

Because the theoretical structure of Azerbaijani mugam does not always allow for analysis in the same systematic manner as classical Turkish makam theory, the analytical framework of Turkish makam music was adopted for the examination of these pieces. Within this context, the concepts of mugam and makam were discussed comparatively, and the structural characteristics of Bayat‑i Şiraz were evaluated accordingly.

Under the section titled “The Tar Instrument,” the historical development of the tar, its organological features, and the distinctions between Azerbaijani and Iranian tar types were presented, followed by an overview of the instrument’s development in Turkey. In the fourth chapter, “Works Composed for the Tar in the Bayat‑i Şiraz Mode and Their Analysis,” the selected pieces were examined in detail using modal analysis techniques.