ABOUT 
THE REBAB

An ancient instrument, the rebab traces its roots to the 9th century and is believed to be the first bowed string instrument to emerge from Central Asia. Over centuries, the rebab spread across North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia, evolving in form and name as it traveled.

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The Turkish rebab has a body crafted from a coconut shell covered with goat skin and features three strings: a top string made of horsehair and two wound with silver wire. Its fretless fingerboard allows for an expressive playing style, which has cemented its importance in Turkey’s Sufi music tradition. The revered Sufi mystic Mevlâna (1202-1273), known in the West as Rumi, is said to have played the rebab.

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As louder, more versatile string instruments developed, the rebab gradually faded into obscurity. Today, only a few musicians keep its tradition alive, yet its unique, resonant timbre continues to captivate listeners.