Qanun; box zither

Kanun. A wooden box, with three soundholes in the form of boteh motifs in the soundboard, which is decorated with a band of marquetry in a scrolling foliage pattern. Four rectangular openings at the wide end of the soundtable are covered with a parchment membrane that would have supported a bridge. 24 triple courses of gut strings, tuned from wooden tuning pegs. Most of the courses are fitted with levers to raise the pitch by two degrees and in some cases three.