The Shashtar, Sheshtar or Shashtay (probably from Persian ''Şeş-tar'' ششتار, meaning six-string) is a stringed musical instrument of the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

family. It was mentioned historically by

Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...

and

Abd al-Qadir Maraghi Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi b. Ghaybi ( fa, عبدالقادر مراغی, born middle of 14th – died 1435 AD), was a Persian musician and artist. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, he "was the greatest of the Persian writers on music".Farmer, ...

. It is or was played in Iran/Persia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and elsewhere. It may have been developed during the

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of th ...

from the

tambur The ''tambur'' (spelled in keeping with TDK conventions) is a fretted string instrument of Turkey and the former lands of the Ottoman Empire. Like the ney, the armudi (lit. pear-shaped) kemençe and the kudüm, it constitutes one of the four in ...

. Like the tambur, it has a floating bridge and a wooden soundboard (not skin like the rubab etc). The 6 gut strings were in 3 double courses, and thus it may be a forerunner of the

Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

.https://shahnameh.netlify.com/shashtar.htm The Shahnameh Guide To The Lutes Of Central Asia

References

Lutes Necked bowl lutes String instruments Iranian inventions {{lute-stub