11 String Uyghur Khushtar Violin Fiddle

Description

Uyghur Khushtar (11-string) violin.  Belonged to nephew, who was a talented musician and majored in music therapy.  From internet research; the Khushtar has a body made of staves like a lute or oud. These staves are usually made of mulberry or apricot wood. The soundboard is usually made of pine. The pegs are often made of walnut wood.
The Khushtar is recognized for the bird on top of the handle; a “khush” means bird and “tar” means strings.  The sound of a Khushtar is very clear and resonate, reminiscent of a birdsong.
Its roots connect all the way back to the heyday of the Silk Road. The modern Khushtar today is modeled after paintings found in early Buddhist cave murals and is tune and played upright on the knee like other traditional lutes. While designed for a professional musician, the artisanal craftsmanship and beauty of the Khushtar will appeal to all art collectors as a beautiful and traditional piece.
The instrument is played upright on the knee, with the curved attachment on the end of the body resting on the knee itself.
The Khushtar has 11 strings; four are for playing, as with a normal violin, and the others resonate along with the bowed strings. The four playing strings are tuned to the normal western scale (G D A E), so if you can play a Violin or Viola, you can learn to play Khushtar easily. The four strings are stretched from four tuning pegs, and another seven sympathetic strings are on the side of the neck. The instrument is supported at the base with a movable foot.