Arabic musical instruments

The oud ( ; , ) is a Middle Eastern short-neck lute-type, pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument (a chordophone in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification of instruments), usually with 11 strings grouped in six courses, but some models have five or seven courses, with 10 or 13 strings respectively.

thumb|260px|Musician playing the zurna.

The santur ( ; ) is a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origin.

alt=Rebab tiga tali|thumb|Rebab tiga tali (three-stringed rebab), Western Malaysia c. 1977. St Cecilia's Hall.

Middle-Eastern stringed instrument

thumb|upright=1.2|A sekhem-style sistrum

The ney ( ; ) is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in traditional Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, Jewish, Arab, and Egyptian music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played for over 4,500 years, dating back to ancient Egypt, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use.

The term Tanbur can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowadays the term tanbur (or tambur) is applied to a variety of distinct and related long-necked lutes used in art and folk traditions. Similar or identical instruments are also known by other terms." These instruments are used in the traditional music of Iran, Iraq, India, Armenia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan (especially Avar community), Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ka

The naqareh, naqqāra, nagara or nagada is a Middle Eastern drum with a rounded back and a hide head, usually played in pairs. It is thus a membranophone of the kettle drum variety.

The Tabl, dhol, tapan, atabal or davul is a large double-headed drum that is played with mallets. It has many names depending on the country and region. These drums are commonly used in the music of West Asia and the Balkans. These drums have both a deep bass sound and a thin treble sound due to their construction and playing style, where different heads and sticks are used to produce different sounds on the same drum.The drum traditionally known as ṭabl is closely associated with dabke, a pre-Arab Levantine folk dance, indicating the instrument’s deep roots in the cultural traditions of the L

The bendir (, ; : , ) is a wooden-framed frame drum of North Africa and Southwest Asia.

Zills, zillia, zils, or sagat, also known as finger cymbals or fanglesnaps, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pairs can be set in a frame to make a tambourine.

string instrument played with hammers

thumb|Use of Qraqeb in a wedding in the city of Salé, Morocco - November 2025 Qraqeb or garagab (), in English often transliterated as krakeb, are a large iron castanet-like musical instrument primarily used as the rhythmic aspect of Gnawa music. Gnawa today is part of the North African culture and is inherent in the Maghrebi soundscape. The word qraqeb is a plural form (with the singular being qarqab), with an unclear etymology, as the word does not occur in Standard Arabic with this meaning.

right|thumb|''Sana'a al-Haneen, performed by Hussain Moheb A qanbūs () is a short-necked lute that originated in Yemen and spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Sachs considered that it derived its name from the Turkic komuz, but it is more comparable to the oud. The instrument was related to or a descendant of the barbat, a (possibly) skin-topped lute from Central Asia. The qanbūs has 6 or 7 nylon strings that are plucked with a plectrum to generate sound. Unlike many other lute-family instruments, the gambus'' has no frets. Its popularity declined in Yemen during the early 20th century re

The arghul (), also spelled argul, arghoul, arghool, argol, or yarghul, is a musical instrument in the reed family. It has been used since ancient Egyptian and Ancient Levantine civilizations(such as the Canaanites) times and is still used as a traditional instrument in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

thumb|right|Mizwad right|300px|thumb The Mezoued Tunisian Arabic : مِزْود; plural مَزاود mazāwid, literally "sack," “bag,” or “food pouch”) is a type of bagpipes played in Tunisia, The instrument consists of a skin bag made from ewe's leather, with a joined double-chanter, terminating in two cow horns, similar to a hornpipe (instrument).This instrument is played with a single-reed.

Egyptian double-reed aerophone

The mijwiz (, DIN: miǧwiz) is a traditional SouthWest Asian musical instrument originating from the Levant( Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.)Its name in Arabic means "dual", because of its consisting of two, short, bamboo pipes with reed tips put together, making the mijwiz a double-pipe, single-reed woodwind instrument.

traditional string instrument

The buzuq (; also transliterated bozuq, bouzouk, buzuk etc.) a long-necked fretted lute, likely originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in the Levant, where it is prominent in Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian music. Its roots may trace back to ancient stringed instruments, evolving into its modern form by the 19th century. The buzuq's metallic strings and thin neck allow for intricate melodies, making it a favored solo instrument in traditional settings. It gained popularity in urban music scenes, especially in Cairo's early 20th-century music halls, where it was adapted for lar

type of drum

Algerian stringed instrument

right|thumb|Tbilat

Nafir (Arabic نَفير, DMG an-nafīr), also nfīr, plural anfār, Turkish nefir, is a slender shrill-sounding straight natural trumpet with a cylindrical tube and a conical metal bell, producing one or two notes. It was used as a military signaling instrument and as a ceremonial instrument in countries shaped by Islamic culture in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In Ottoman, Persian and Mugulin miniatures, the nafīr is depicted in battle scenes. In Christian culture, it displaced or was played alongside of the curved tuba or horn, as seen in artwork of about the 14th century A.D.

single-headed frame drum

thumb|Video of ghaita music in a wedding in the city of Salé, Morocco - November 2025 The rhaita or ghaita () is a double reed instrument from West North Africa, specifically Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Mauritania. It is nearly identical in construction to the Arabic mizmar and the Turkish zurna. The distinctive name owes to a medieval Gothic-Iberian influence. In southern Iberia, various sorts of wind instruments, including the related shawm, are known as gaitas, but in northern Iberia gaita refers only to bagpipes.

right|thumb|Mirwas drum

The mazhar (; : mazāhar, مزاهر) is a large, heavy tambourine used in Arabic music. The mazhar's frame is generally made out of wood. Its single head is considerably thicker than that of the riq, its smaller cousin. Some drums have brass zills that are about 10–13 centimetres (4–5 inches) in diameter; these may be played with a shaking technique.

thumb|Zukra on display at the Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix)|Musical Instrument Museum The zukra (or zokra or zoughara, ) is a Libyan bagpipe with a double-chanter terminating in two cow horns; it is similar in construction to the Tunisian mizwad.