Musicology Annotation << Back The Middle Eastern Musical Instrument Oud (al-‘ud) Rishmawi O. The paper is concerned with the one of the key musical instruments of Eastern culture. The author illuminates the questions of the origin and evolution of oud, examines the characteristics of its construction, tune, existing varieties, repertoire. Key words: chordophone, oud, lute, barbat, Arabian culture. E-mail: odehrishmawi@yahoo.com