Dutar

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The dutar, also spelled dotar, is a traditional long-necked lute from Iran and Central Asia. It has two strings, though some regional versions have more. The name means “two strings” in Persian. It is especially popular in Tajikistan and Iran’s Khorasan region. Different communities play it in slightly different ways: Uyghurs in western China often pluck the strings, while Tajiks, Turkmen, and Uzbeks usually strum and pluck. The Kazakh dombra is a related instrument.

The dutar began in the 15th century as a shepherd’s instrument. Its gut strings were later replaced by silk strings traded along the Silk Road; today nylon or steel strings are common, though some instruments still use silk. It has a warm, soft tone and a pear-shaped body, usually made from mulberry wood, with a narrow neck (often apricot wood). It typically has 13 frets and is tuned in fourths, commonly to La Re or A D, though regional tunings vary. It is a plucked instrument that requires quick, light right-hand strokes and can be played solo with singing or as part of an ensemble.

In Khorasan, a dutar player is called a bakhshi; among Azeri people, the player is called an ashiq. Khorasan bakhshi music is recognized by UNESCO as an important intangible cultural heritage. The Turkmen dutar, described by the Smithsonian, is a two-string fretted lute made from apricot, mulberry, and walnut woods with steel frets, strings, and tuners.