Tar (drum)

Tar
Percussion instrument
Classification Frame drum
Hornbostel–Sachs classification211.311
(Directly struck membranophone)
Illustration of an Egyptian tár with zills. The frame is covered with tortoiseshell and nacre.[1]

The tar (Arabic: طار) is an ancient, single-headed frame drum. It is commonly played in the Middle East and North Africa. The tar's drumhead is struck with one hand.

The drumhead was usually made from animal skin like goats, while the frame was made of wood.

  1. ^ Lane, Edward William (1860) [1836]. An Account of the Manners and Customs of Modern Egyptians (5th ed.). London: John Murray Publishers. p. 366.