Tar

orig. Middle East, Caucasus One of the principal Iranian and Azerbaijani instruments, the tar is a long-necked double-heart-shaped lute made from mulberry wood and covered in lambskin. The instrument has six steel and copper strings and a long, flat fingerboard with up to 28 adjustable frets.

Once thought to cure ailments and soothe the mind into a philosophical mood, the tar has deeply influenced trends in Persian music over the last few centuries. To play, the strings are plucked with a brass plectrum (pick).