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 santir (also spelled santur or santour) is a trapezoidal hammered dulcimer with 72 or more strings stretched over movable bridges, played with delicate wooden mallets called mezrab. The instrument dates back to ancient Mesopotamia and is the likely ancestor of all European hammered dulcimer variants, including the Hungarian cimbalom and the Chinese yangqin. In Persian classical music, the santir is a refined solo instrument capable of extraordinary speed and nuance.
The instrument requires a unique technique of striking the strings with controlled wrist movements to produce everything from gentle whispers to brilliant cascades of notes. Master santir players like Faramarz Payvar and Parviz Meshkatian elevated the instrument to the highest level of Persian classical performance. The santir's shimmering, sustained tone — created by multiple strings vibrating sympathetically — gives it a harp-like resonance. It also appears in Turkish, Iraqi, and Indian classical traditions, each with regional variations in tuning, construction, and playing style.
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.