Dambura
/dəmˈbʊərə/noun
A long-necked, two- or three-stringed lute played in Afghanistan and neighboring regions.
Did you know?Dambura belongs to the wider tanbur family, whose name is often connected by scholars with ancient Greek pandoura, though the ultimate origin of the instrument-name remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Near East
Akkadian?
—
“Possible early antecedents for the long-necked lute tradition exist in the ancient Near East, but a direct etymology for dambura is not securely established.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pandoura
“A plucked, long-necked stringed instrument; often proposed as an early relative of later tanbur names.”
Medieval Period
Arabic/Persian
ṭunbūr / tanbūr
“A long-necked lute; these forms became widespread across the Islamic world and Persianate cultural sphere.”
Early Modern Period
Persianate languages
dambura / dambūrah
“Regional forms naming related long-necked lutes, especially in Afghanistan and Central Asia.”
Modern English
English
dambura
“The Afghan long-necked lute, commonly associated with regional folk and traditional music.”