Name: Kobyz (Wikipedia), an ancient two-stringed Kazakh instrument.

Family: String instruments.

Sub-family: Bowed string instrument.

Also known as: kyl-kobyz.

Age: Dates back to the 8th Century.

Wikidata item: Q1778051

Related to: Byzantine lira, Byzaanchy, Calabrian Lira, Cretan lira, Gadulka, Gusle, Gudok, Igil, Kamancheh, Kemenche, Rebec, Rebab.

Disambiguation: A double-stringed ancient instrument native to the Kazakh people.

Description: The Kobyz has strings made out of horsehair. Its bow is usually made out of dark wood having silver elements, ivory inlay and the resonating cavity could be enveloped with goat leather.

History: In a traditional perspective, Kobyzes were sacred instruments possessed by spiritual medics. The 1930s brought about a new type of Kobyz which had four metallic strings, which gave it a similarity to the violin.

External links:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobyz
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070929150401/http://www.orchestra.kz/index.php?eng=eng
•  http://www.unesco.org/artcollection/NavigationAction.do?idOeuvre=2748
• https://theculturetrip.com/asia/kazakhstan/articles/an-introduction-to-folk-instruments-the-kazakh-kobyz/
• https://indy-guide.com/en/articles/kazakh-traditional-instrument-kobyz

Images:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kazakhstan_postage_stamp_depicting_a_Kobyz.png
• http://www.unesco.org/artcollection/jsps/image.jsp?image=/artcollection/GetImageAction.do?src=Oeuvre2748/image1.do.jpg&copyright=All+rights+reserved&copyrightImage=Photo%3A+UNESCO%2FP.+Lag%C3%A8s

Example uses:

• Sen, played by Sevara Nazarkhan