Arabic musical instruments are instruments developed and mainly used by people from the Arab world. Usage of these instruments, often more than a thousand years old, were once limited to the region's traditional and contemporary music, but today they are commonly used in world music and popular music from all around the world. Like most instruments they are broadly classified into three categories, string instruments (chordophones), wind instruments (aerophones), and percussion instruments.
Chordophones
Plucked lutes
Zithers
Bowed lutes
Lyres
Aerophones
Flutes
Reed instruments
Trumpets
Percussion instruments
Drums and frame drums
- Riq
- Daf
- Bendir
- Dumbaki (Darbuka)
- Duhulah
- Drinjah
- Bass Drinjah
- Khishbah
- Kasurah
- Tabl Tsjikangha
- Tabl Masanduw
- Tabl Bib
- Taarija
- Tar
- Tar Barashim (Shake Tar)
- Tar Mirjaf (Low Tar)
- Tar Saghul (High Tar)
- Katim
- Mirwas
- Zir (Naqarah)
- Qas'ah
- Tbilat
- Tabl Bahri (Khamari & Laauwb)
- Tabl Hajir (Khamari & Laauwb)
- Tabl Nasayfi (Khamari & Laauwb)
- Al Ras
- Mazhar
Other percussion
- Shakhshikhah (Sistrum)
- Sajat
- Turah (Egyptian Sajat)
- Twaysat (Gulf Sajat)
- Krakeb
- Hawan (instrument)
- Yahalah/Jahalah (Clay jug)
- Manjur
- Mihbaj
- Maalaqa
- Safqa (Arabic hand clap)
References
- Miller, Terry; Williams, Sean (17 March 2011). The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music. Routledge. p. 403. ISBN 978-1-135-90154-7. Retrieved 1 November 2025.