Create account

UNESCO representative list

Crafting and playing the Oud

La fabrication et la pratique de l’oud

Source SupportedContext Required1 supporting sources

Overview

The oud is a traditional, lute-type instrument played in Iran and Syria. The musician places the short-necked instrument on their leg, fretting with one hand and plucking the chords with the other. In both countries, the oud consists of a pear-shaped sound box made of walnut, rose, poplar, ebony or apricot wood. Crafting an oud takes up to twenty-five days, during which the wood is left to dry and harden and is then treated with water and steam for fifteen days to build its durability. Ouds are crafted in different sizes for different sized-bodies and decorated with wooden carvings and mosaic patterns. They typically have five twin strings, though a sixth string can be added. With its bass and baritone ranges, the instrument can produce melodic and harmonic tones. The oud is played solo or in ensembles and is accompanied by traditional songs and dance in a wide range of events. Its...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Syrian Arab Republic
Languages
Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Syrian Arab Republic
Countries
Iran, Islamic Republic of, Syrian Arab Republic

How the System Works

The oud is a traditional, lute-type instrument played in Iran and Syria. The musician places the short-necked instrument on their leg, fretting with one hand and plucking the chords with the other. In both countries, the oud consists of a pear-shaped sound box made of walnut, rose, poplar, ebony or apricot wood. Crafting an oud takes up...

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title
UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle
UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary
UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type
UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries
UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories
ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships
UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl
UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights
UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Review and Corrections

If this record misstates authority, access, naming, language, source context or community preference, please request a review.

Suggest correction
NewExplore Global Knowledge Systems
Display
Make yourself comfortable
Language
Latest newsClose
In the news

Heritage, design and Global South stories from established outlets.