Santur

Santur, musical instrument, a struck zither or dulcimer, found in southern Asia, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. The body consists of a trapezoid-shaped wooden case about 6 cm (about 2 in) deep that has a longer end about 90 cm (about 3 ft) wide and a shorter end about 35 cm (about 14 in) wide. The left and right sides taper at a 45° angle to the shorter end. In performance the instrument is placed on a stand, with the longer end near the musician. Arranged in quadruple sets, the metal strings run across the width of the instrument and are attached at each side. They are sounded with two thin hardwood hammers held one in each hand. Each set of strings rests on either one of two movable hardwood bridges, which run nearly parallel to their respective sides of the case. By striking the strings to the left and right of the bridges, the musician can obtain a range of three octaves.

The santur was known in Muslim Spain in the 11th century, but its ancestors may be seen in Babylonian reliefs dating from 1600 bc. Today it is important in traditional Iranian and Iraqi musical ensembles.