Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Sitar

Natural History Museum

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

    Object Details

    Donor Name

    Edward H. Smith Jr.

    Notes

    A 4-stringed musical instrument of roughly hewn wood, believed to be a form of sitar. The finger board contains 15 metal frets made of wire. Strings are secured to 4 tunings pegs at one end and a nail at the other. Belly is all wood, with three tiny sound holes piercing the top, and a few parallel lines deeply incised on the back. Sitar invention credited to 13th century Delhi musician named Amir Khusru, deriving name from Persian "si" (three) and "tar" (string).

    Record Last Modified

    10 Jun 2023

    Specimen Count

    1

    Accession Date

    10 Aug 1989

    Accession Number

    361230

    USNM Number

    E431889-0

    Object Type

    Sitar

    Length

    ca. 128 cm

    Width

    13.5 cm

    Height

    14 cm

    Place

    North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Asia

    See more items in

    Anthropology

    Data Source

    NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

    Topic

    Ethnology

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/39266c3d7-de9d-44bd-9725-14eaa53651ec

    Record ID

    nmnhanthropology_8549845

    Discover More

    oud lute

    Origins of Stringed Instruments

    arrow-up Back to top
    Home
    • Facebook facebook
    • Instagram instagram
    • LinkedIn linkedin
    • YouTube youtube

    • Contact Us
    • Get Involved
    • Shop Online
    • Job Opportunities
    • Equal Opportunity
    • Inspector General
    • Records Requests
    • Accessibility
    • Host Your Event
    • Press Room
    • Privacy
    • Terms of Use