Pandura:Greece musical instrument

The pandura is an ancient Greek stringed musical instrument from the Mediterranean basin. The name of the musical instrument is derived from a Sumerian term for long-necked lutes. The source of our knowledge about this musical instrument is since the ancient Greek Mantineia marble now seen at national Archaeological Museum of Athens, portrayed the mythical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, where the Greek pandouris is being performed by a muse seated on a rock. Lutes have been present also in the ancient Greece. Also they were present in Mesopotamia ever since the Akkadian era.

source of picture: music-archive.aegean.gr -

The ancient Greek pandoura was a medium necked or long necked lute that has a small resonating chamber. The instrument commonly had six strings; such musical instrument was also known as the ‘trichordon’. Its descendants are still found in the world, including the Greek tambouras and the bouzouki, the North African Kuitra, the saz of the eastern Mediterranean and the tamburica of Balkan. 

Wide versions of analogous musical instruments, normally by the name tanbur, are seen in areas ranging from the central Asia to Egypt. In Afghanistan, the musical instrument is called danbura, and it is a popular folk musical instrument especially among the Hazara people. An analogous musical instrument can be found in Chechnya and Ingushetia, where the instrument is called Vainakhs Phondar. In Georgia, the panduri is a three stringed fretted musical instrument widely spread in all the eastern regions of the country, an analogous musical instrument known as chonguri is found in Georgia also.