Uyghur Dutar
The Uyghur dutar is a two-stringed lute played among Uyghurs in all regions in present-day Xinjiang in China and Central Asia. It is the favourite instrument for accompanying Uyghur folksongs from different regions, and is also used as a supporting instrument for performing the classical muqam repertoire.
Historical records on the dutar among Uyghurs can be found in the treatise “Tawarikh-i Musiqiyun” (“Histories of Musicians”) by the writer Mulla Ismatullah Mojizi in the 19th century. It states that the dutar was invented by the musician Alishah Buka in the 17th century. Alishah Buka hails from the Khorasan region, which is today confined to a region in northeastern Iran, but used to designate a region that encompassed Iranian Khorasan, Northern Afghanistan as well as much of Uzbekistan, and was the heartland of the Timurid Empire from the 14th to 16th century. Most regions that have a dutar were once part of the Timurid Empire.
The Uyghur dutar is usually made of mulberry and parasol, with its body is made out of ribs of wood glued together. It used to use gut strings frets and silk for strings, now replaced by plastic and nylon. At around 130 cm, it is the longest of all dutars.
