Rubab (instrument)

The rubab or robab is a lute-like musical instrument of Central Asian origin. It is the national musical instrument of Afghanistan and is also commonly played in India and Pakistan, mostly by Balochis and Kashmiris, and Punjabis.
Variants of the rubab include the Kabuli rebab of Afghanistan, the Uyghur rawap of Xinjiang, the Pamiri rubab of Tajikistan, and the North Indian seni rebab. The instrument and its variants spread throughout West, Central, South and Southeast Asia.
The Kabuli rebab from Afghanistan derives its name from the Arabic rebab and is played with a bow while in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the instrument is plucked and is distinctly different in construction.

Components

English	Pashto	Persian
Headstock	تاج Tāj	سرپنجه or تاج "Tāj" or "Sar Penjah"
Tuning peg	غوږي Ghwagi/Ghwazhi	گوشی‌ Goshi/Gushi
Nut	?	شیطانک Sheitanak
Neck	غړۍ Gharai	دسته Dastah
Strings	تارونه Tāruna	تار Tār
Long/Low drones	شاتار Shātār	شاهتار Shahtar
Short/High drones	?	?
Sympathetic strings	بچي Bachi	?
Frets	پرده Pardah	پرده Pardah
Chest	سينه Sinah	سینه Sinah
Side	?	صفحه Safhah
Skin belly	ګوډی or څرمن "Tsarman" or "Goday"	پوست Pust
Head or Chamber	ډول Dol	کاسه Kasah
Bridge	ټټو Tatu	خرک Kharak
tailpiece	?	سیم‌گیر Seemgeer
Plectrum	شاباز Shabaz	مضراب Mezrab

In detail about the strings:

English	Explanation	Pashto	Persian
Strings	Main strings: 3 and made out of nylon Long Drone: 2-3 and made out of steel Short Drone: 2 and made out of steel	تارونه Tāruna	تار Tār
First/Low/Bass String	Low/Bass String is the thickest string	کټی Katay	?
Second String	Thinner than bass string and thicker than high string	بم Bam	بم Bam
Third/High String	The thinnest string out of all the three main strings	زېر Zer	زیر Zir

Construction

The body is carved out of a single piece of wood, with a head covering a hollow bowl which provides the sound-chamber. The bridge sits on the skin and is held in position by the tension of the strings. It has three melody strings tuned in fourths, two or three drone strings and up to 15 sympathetic strings. The instrument is made from the trunk of a mulberry tree, the head from an animal skin such as goat, and the strings from the intestines of young goats or nylon.

History

The earliest historical record of an instrument named rabab dates back to 10th-century Arabic texts, as identified by Henry George Farmer. This instrument, along with its variations like rubab, rebab, and rabob, subsequently gained popularity in various regions of West, Central, South, and Southeast Asia. It is mentioned in old Persian books, and many Sufi poets mention it in their poems. It is the traditional instrument of Khorasan present Afghanistan and is widely used in countries such as Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as in the Xinjiang province of northwest China and the Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab regions of northwest India.
The rubab is known as "the lion of instruments" and is one of the two national instruments of Afghanistan. Classical Afghan music often features this instrument as a key component. Elsewhere it is known as the Kabuli rebab in contrast to the Seni rebab of India. In appearance, the Kabuli rubab looks slightly different from the Indian rubab. It is the ancestor of the north Indian sarod, although unlike the sarod, it is fretted.
The rubab was the first instrument used in Sikhism; it was used by Bhai Mardana, companion of the first guru, Guru Nanak. Whenever a shabad was revealed to Guru Nanak he would sing and Bhai Mardana would play on his rubab; he was known as a rababi. The rubab playing tradition is carried on by Sikhs such as Namdharis.
In 2024, UNESCO recognised the art of creating the rubab as an Intangible cultural heritage in Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Variants

In northern India, the seni rebab, which emerged during the Mughal Empire, has "a large hook at the back of its head, making it easier for a musician to sling it over the shoulder and play it even while walking."
The Sikh rabab was traditionally a local Punjabi variant known as the 'Firandia' rabab, however Baldeep Singh, an expert in the Sikh musical tradition, challenges this narrative.
In Tajikistan a similar but somewhat distinct rubab-i-pamir is played, employing a shallower body and neck. The rubab of the Pamir area has six gut strings, one of which, rather than running from the head to the bridge, is attached partway down the neck, similar to the fifth string of the American banjo.

Notable players

Bhai Mardana, companion of Guru Nanak and one of the first Sikhs
Ustad Mohammed Omar, Rabab player From Kabul, Afghanistan
Ustad Rahim Khushnawaz, Rabab Player From Herat, Afghanistan
Ustad Homayun Sakhi, Rabab Player From Kabul, Afghanistan
Ustad Ramin Saqizada, Rabab Player From Afghanistan
Ustad Sadiq Sameer, Rabab Player, From Afghanistan
Ustad Shahzaib Khan, Rabab Player From Nowshera/Nokhar, Pakistan
Ustad Waqar Atal, Rabab Player, From Peshawer, Pakistan
Ustad Hamyuo sakhi, Rabab player, From Afghanistan
John S. Baily, emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths, University of London
Khaled Arman, Rabab Player and Guitarist From Kabul, Afghanistan
Daud Khan Sadozai, Afghan Rubab and Sarod Player from Kabul Afghanistan