Tembûr

The tembûr is the long-necked lute that accompanies much of Kurdish song: a slender wooden body, a long fretted neck, and a bright, silvery tone that can carry a solo voice or drive a dance tune. It is the instrument most associated with the modern singer-poet: Şivan Perwer’s tembûr is as much part of his image as his voice. Closely related long-necked lutes are played across the region, and in some Kurdish communities the instrument also has a sacred role. On Kurdimusic, instrument pages like this one anchor the technical and cultural documentation of how Kurdish music is actually made.