Rabāb

Unknown

19th century · wood, mother-of-pearl, gut, skin, bone · Musical Instruments

This type of rabāb is one of the most important instruments in traditional Arabic ensembles of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. It made its way into Spain with the Moors and from about 1300 lent its name to the early European fiddle, the rebec, which was originally played with the rounded end on the lap just as the rabāb is played today. Short-necked, bowed lutes from Algeria are made with decorative pierced brass fingerboards while those from Morocco use wood to cover the hollowed neck.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

wood, mother-of-pearl, gut, skin, bone

Culture

Algerian or Moroccan

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889