Detail of “Isra’il the Seljuq at the Court of Mahmud of Ghazna”

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An ensemble of musicians is shown seated before Mahmud and Isra’il in this illustration. From left to right, they play a nay (reed flute), a daff (frame drum), and a tanbur (long-necked lute). Click the audio players below to hear samples of each instrument.

The nay, one of the world’s oldest instruments, is an “end-blown flute” – meaning it is played vertically rather than horizontally, unlike Western orchestral flutes. Nays are commonly made of a single reed and have large finger holes for performers to adjust the pitch.

Solo by Shah Andalibi from Ensemble Hayiran (excerpt), recorded at the Aga Khan Museum on February 15, 2020.

A large frame drum, the daff is made of natural skin and a wooden frame, often with metal cymbals or rings along the inner rim. It is commonly used in popular, classical and religious Persian and Kurdish music, and is also widely used throughout the Arab world and in Pakistan.

Pocket Performance: Duos by Naghmeh Farahmand, Bijan Sepandi and Shahin Fayaz (excerpt), recorded at the Aga Khan Museum on October 14, 2020

Similar to the setar, the tanbur is a long-necked lute with frets. Variations on the instrument are found in Central and South Asia, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, where they are used in the folk as well as the classical traditions.

Pocket Performance: Rob Simms (excerpt), recorded at the Aga Khan Museum on August 20, 2020.