The Shashtar, Sheshtar or Shashtay (probably from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

''Şaş-tar'' or ''Şeş-tar'', , ) is a

stringed musical instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play so ...

of the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), 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 "lu ...

family. It was mentioned historically by

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

and

Abd al-Qadir Maraghi Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi ibn Ghaybi (; ) was a music theorist, composer and performer of the Timurid Empire. A renowned writer on music and musician, his theories had a profound influence on subsequent Persian, Arab, and Turkish music. Life Abd ...

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

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...

from the

tambur The is a fretted string instrument of Turkey and the former lands of the Ottoman Empire. There are two variants, one of which is played with a plectrum (''mızraplı tambur'') and the other with a bow ('' yaylı tambur''). The player is call ...

. 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 b ...

.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