The historical origins of Arabian music, can be typically heard and sensed of it's uniqueness and similarity any where on the Arabian land. Early Arabian musicians were inspired by the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Sumerians.
Many of the instruments now used are direct descendants of those depicted in the wall paintings and carvings of their past civilizations. The distinctive quality of Arabian music owes a great deal to the type of instruments used. As ancient and traditional as the music itself, the present forms of these instruments evolved primarily in the eight through tenth centuries, during that creative zenith of classical Islamic civilization known as the Golden Age.
'ud
al-'ud, implies a 'branch of wood.'. Between the eighth and tenth centuries, the 'ud had only four strings; a fifth was added by "Zitiab", a famous performer in the now called middle-east, and a sixth later on in the fifteenth century.
Shaped like half a pear with a short fretted neck, the 'ud is a six courses of two-strings instrument played with a plectrum - often a trimmed eagle's feather - producing a deep and mellow sound across the Middle East refer to it as 'the King of all instruments.'
Tablah
The tablah is a small hand-drum also known as the durbakke. One of the famously played percussion instruments, the tablah top is a member of goat or fish skin stretched over a vase-shaped drum with a wide neck.
Usually made of earthenware or metal, it is played either under the left arm or between the legs and struck in the middle for the strong beats and on the edge for the sharp in-between beats.
Qanun
The qanun is a descendent of the old Egyptian harp and has played an interior part in Arab 
music since the tenth century. Its Arabic name means 'rule' or 'law.' The form of the qanun consists of a trapezoid-shaped flat board over which 81 strings are stretched in groups of three with 24 treble chords consisting of three chords to each note. These strings are plucked with the finger or with two plectra.
The qanun is a classical instrument of the Arab world, widely described in both oral and written traditions. In Turkey it is called the kanun. Like other instruments of the Islamic world, including the ney and daira (see above), it is played in the improvisatory musical tradition known as Maqam.
The qanun is a plucked zither with a flat trapezoid-shaped body. It has 75 strings arranged so that three strings are plucked at the same time to make each pitch. The player uses the right hand to pluck the strings with a plectrum that resembles a thimble with a metal barb on one end. The left hand manipulates a set of switches that pull the strings to change the pitch. Qanun players use these switches to create beautifully ornamented melodies that mimic the sound of the human voice.
Nay
The word nay comes from Persia & is used to describe a single reed pipe of the simplest design whose origins go back to the Sumerian civilization. Nay is the Arabic name for simple open-ended reed instruments which usually have 6 holes in the front for the fingers to play and 1 hole underneath for the thumb.
Sounds are produced at an octave higher or lower, and tunes in different scales can be played with nays of various lengths. Although very simple, the nay is extraordinarily versatile. Its poetical timbre makes it especially suitable for melancholy effects expressing both joy and peace.
Mijwiz
The mijwiz, which means 'dual' in Arabic, is a type of double reed clarinet popular in Syria, Lebanon and the Palestine. To the North Africans its equivalent is known as the maqrum. It is played by breathing gently through a circular aperture the end and by moving the fingers over the holes down the front of the tube, Similar to the mijwiz is the minjayrah, an open-ended small reed flute played in the same manner.
The word buzuq comes from the Turk's, buzuk means 'burnt head' or 'uprooted.' This is a hybrid instrument that is not classified among the classical instruments of Arab music nor among those of Turkish . However, this instrument may be looked upon as a relative to the same way as the viola to the violin in Western music.
The buzuq had been associated with the gypsy music of Lebanon and Syria. A long-necked fretted string instrument, the buzuq is a 2 metal strung instrument played with a plectrum, offering a metallic yet melodious resonance.
Daff
Also known as the rikk, the daff is the Arabic name for the popular English instrument the tambourine. It consists of a round frame, covered on one side with goat or fish skin. Pairs of metal discs are set into the frame to produce the jingle when struck by the hand.
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