By Karim Othman Hassan This Damascus-made oud is without doubt the most impressive and – to the best of our knowledge – the oldest surviving instrument made by the Nahat family. Until recently it was assumed that the brothers Rufan and Abdou Nahat (Ikhwan Nahat) founded the first Nahat carpentry workshop in 1880. It is…
Welcome to Oudmigrations
As long as there have been ouds, there have been stories about them.
The oldest surviving oud?
By Karim Othman Hassan To date this instrument is the oldest Arab oud we know, and it may be the oldest surviving Arab string instrument at all. Its significance is all the greater for its having 7 double courses, which means that we can refer to it as an oud al mukmal, the term used…
The oud in England
…’an exotic caged bird’…
Salman Shukur’s oud
…a relationship between player and instrument could last after the player himself passed on…
The oud as a luxury toy
By Rachel Beckles Willson When in 2006 Ritter Instruments made an oud in its ‘Royal’ series that sold at auction for $620,000, it pushed the so-called King of Arab instruments into new territory. The price was partly a result of its materials, but wood was not the deciding component. Rather, it was the 103-carat black…
Egyptian Ouds from 1800 to the 1930s
Models and sizes
She played them a tune on her oud…
…that would make solid rocks dance.
Instrument collections and their stories
… collections are memories of peoples, each with their own traditions and languages …
An Iraqi gift from Syria
… a gift that preserved a treasure …
Nur al-Din and the green satin bag
What lies within…?
Oudmigrations launch concert
Memories of a celebration…
The refined craft of Damascus in Istanbul
Children need Qudmany ouds too…
A gem from Damascus, 1897
… the only known Damascus-made oud by the Qudmany family …
India to Kuwait
… an oud that crossed the Arabian Sea …
