Egypt
Egyptian

Clay, goat skin, fiber string
Mid-Late 20th Century
Length: 15 in; Drum head diameter: 9.25 in; Base diameter: 5.75 in
Membranophone – Struck (Directly) – Single Headed

This is the classic design of an Egyptian handmade darbuka from Egypt.  Darbuka drums usually stand around 9-16 inches tall, while the doumbek drums are larger, standing around 18 inches tall.  This Egyptian hand drum is a folk instrument with a round head (unlike the Turkish with exposed edges) tuned by stretching the goat skin over with netting over the top of the goblet-shaped glazed pottery body.  The darbuka, originally made of clay with fish or goat skin head, is one of the most iconic percussion instruments used in middle eastern and Northern Africa music.  With minor variations in appearance, both the Egyptian and Turkish Doumbek/Darbuka are used to represent Asian and Arabic music styles from centuries ago, up until today.  The origin of the term darbuka is somewhat obscure but probably lies in the Arabic word darba (to strike), or durub (rhythmic cycles)  Hence, darbuka could mean, your strike, or your rhythm.