View source for Mizmar (instrument)

{{Short description|Musical instrument}}
{{Infobox Instrument
|name=Mizmar
|names=
|image=File:La fête de la musique au centre culturel dEgypte (Paris) (7416610718).jpg
|caption =Egyptian Musicians playing the traditional mizmar (center), between [[ney]] flute and [[goblet drum]].
|classification=[[Double reed]]
|range=
|related= 
*[[Sorna]]
*[[Rhaita]]
*[[Suona]]
*[[Sopila]]
*[[Shawm]] }}

In [[Arabic music]], a '''''mizmār''''' ({{langx|ar|{{script|Arab|[[wikt:مزمار|مزمار]]}}}}; plural مَزَامِير '''''mazāmīr''''') is any single or [[double reed]] [[wind instrument]]. In [[Egypt]], the term ''mizmar'' usually refers to the conical [[shawm]] that is called ''[[zurna]]'' in [[Turkey]] and [[Armenia]].

The mizmar is traditionally crafted from a single piece of wood, such as [[apricot]] or [[plum]], though modern versions may use [[metal]] for durability. Its conical body, typically 30-40 cm long, narrows from the base to the top and features seven finger holes and a thumb hole for pitch control. The double reed, made from a desert plant called [[Hagna]], is attached via a [[bocal]], a small metal or wooden tube, which enhances airflow precision. The instrument’s design allows for its distinctive sharp, penetrating sound, ideal for outdoor settings like [[Wedding|weddings]] and [[Festival|festivals]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-26 |title=Mizmar |url=https://egyptiancentermakan.wordpress.com/mizmar/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Egyptian Center for Culture & Art |language=en}}</ref>

''Mizmar'' is also a term used for a group of musicians, usually a duo or trio, that play a ''mizmar'' instrument along with an accompaniment of one or two double-sided [[bass drum]]s, known in Arabic as ''[[davul|tabl baladi]]'' or simply ''[[davul|tabl]].'' 

Mizmars are usually played in Egypt at either weddings or as an accompaniment to [[belly dance]]rs. At [[Egyptian culture|Egyptian weddings]], the Mizmar Baldi is accompanied with a belly dancer to greet the bride and groom.<ref>{{citation|title=The New Sound of Egyptian Wedding Rave Is Coming to London|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-new-sound-of-egyptian-wedding-rave-is-coming-to-london-105/|website=vice.com|date=16 October 2014 }}</ref>

In [[Arabian Peninsula|The Arabian Peninsula]], [[Iraq]], [[Jordan]], [[Lebanon]], the [[Palestinian Territories]], and [[Syria]], it is influenced by the [[Anatolia]]n/[[Armenia]]n ''[[zurna]],'' a higher-pitched version of the ''mizmar'', and may also be known in those countries as a ''zamr'' ([[wikt:زمر|زمر]])<ref name="BergerBrocke2003">{{cite book|last1=Berger|first1=Shlomo|last2=Brocke|first2=Michael|last3=Zwiep|first3=Irene |title=Zutot 2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVpAUOlQuZEC&pg=PA133|year=2003|publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers|location=Dordrecht|isbn=1402013248|page=133}}</ref> or ''zamour'', as well as ''mizmar''. In [[Morocco]] and [[Algeria]] a similar instrument is called ''ghaita'' or ''[[rhaita]]'' ([[wikt:غيطة|غيطة]]).<ref>Brown, David. [http://larkinam.com/Articles/ArtOrientalOboes.html Oriental Oboes and Shawms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616065602/http://larkinam.com/Articles/ArtOrientalOboes.html |date=2017-06-16 }} larkinam.com</ref> Along with belly dancing, the mizmar may accompany the [[dabke]], a folkloric [[line dance]] done in [[Jordan]], [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], and [[Iraq]].

== See also ==
* [[Mizmar (dance)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.dominikphoto.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=58 ''Mizmar.'' Dominik Photo] Images of the making

{{Arabic musical instruments}}
{{Double reed}}

[[Category:Culture of the Middle East]]
[[Category:Single oboes with conical bore]]
[[Category:Arabic musical instruments]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Yemeni musical instruments]]


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