Kurdish Musical Instruments
The oud, kamancheh, tanbur, daf, ney, saz, and the other instruments that built the sound of Kurdish music. History, sound, and how to learn each one.
Oud
The oud is the king of Kurdish string instruments — a short-necked, fretless, pear-shaped lute with 11 strings.
Kamancheh
A small spiked fiddle played upright on the knee, with four strings and a vocal-like timbre.
Tanbur
A long-necked lute with 2-3 strings, sacred to the Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq) religious tradition.
Daf
A large frame drum with metal rings inside the rim, producing both deep bass tones and metallic shimmer.
Ney (Bilûr)
An end-blown reed flute, breathy and expressive.
Saz / Bağlama
A long-necked lute shared with Turkish, Armenian, and Iranian traditions.
Zurna
A loud double-reed conical-bore shawm, designed to be heard outdoors.
Santur
A trapezoidal hammered dulcimer with 72 strings, played by striking with two small wooden mallets.