Takht

In the musical context, refers to a small traditional ensemble that performs classical Middle Eastern and North African music. The full ensemble consists of stringed instruments—the oud, the qanun, the kamanjah—the wind instrument, the ney; and percussion in the form of the riqq and tabla/dirbakki. These traditional instruments belong to one of two families: sahb (which means “pulling” or “stretching”), and naqr (“plucking” or “hammering”). The ney is a sahb instrument, while the oud and the qanun are considered naqr. The two families complement each other within the takht, which can include two or more musicians. Another characteristic of the takht is that it plays in the maqam style, a sophisticated system of melodic modes that differs from the classical Western style of fixed scales and harmonic structures. The takht might also accompany a vocalist, as in the case of well-known classical singer Umm Kulthum.