Shahrud

Shahrud
A man plays an Ottoman shahrud, from a 1582 A.D., from an illustration in the Surname-i Hümayun.
String instrument
Classification
DevelopedAntiquity
Related instruments

The Shahrud (Turkish: Şehrud, from Persian: شاهرود, DMG šāh-rūd or šāh-i-rūd) was a short-necked lute, illustrated in the Surname-i Hümayun, resembling an oud or barbat, but being much larger.[1] The larger size gave the instrument added resonance and a deeper (bass) range, like the modern mandobass, mandolone or Algerian mandole.

The word also referred to a type of zither written about by Al Farabi and illustrated in his book Kitāb al-mūsīqī al kabīr. That illustration has led scholars to speculate the instrument was a box-zither, or a harp combined with a psaltery. The šāh-rūd was introduced to Samarkand in the early 10th century and spread to Middle Eastern Arabic music.

Another writer who referred to the instrument was Abd al-Qadir in his work Maqasid al-Alhan (Persian for: purports of Music)(مقاصد الحان). al-Qadir was interested in the restoration and improvement of stringed musical instruments, and his work provides information about numerous musical instruments, including the shahrud.[2]

  1. ^ "ŞEHRUD". Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  2. ^ "5.4 - Piecing Together History, String By String - The Reconstruction of Azerbaijan's Medieval Instruments". Azer.com. Retrieved 21 April 2021.