Naqqāra

Naqqāra (Arab.), small kettledrum of med. and modern Islam, made of metal or wood, the head laced with cords, always played in pairs. At first in use in N. Africa, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria, often carried in front of the rider on horse or camel and beaten with 2 sticks. From that area it spread to Europe via the Mediterranean and the Balkans in the 13th c. (see: nacaire) and to India by the trade routes. The nomenclature of Eastern drums is very confused: in Pers., Arab., and Kurdish today…