santir
A hammered dulcimer of Persian and Middle Eastern origin, played with light wooden mallets, used in classical, folk, and popular music across Iran and the broader region.
In Depth
The Persian santir is likely the ancestor of the entire hammered dulcimer family worldwide — from the Hungarian cimbalom to the Chinese yangqin — all tracing back to ancient Mesopotamian instruments over 4,000 years old.
Related Terms
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