Mongolia
Mongol people

Wood, metal, cork
Mid 20th century
Length: 30.75 in, Width: 7.5 in, Depth: 2.4 in
Chordophones – Lutes

The suuk khuur (shu khur, shook koor) is a bowed fiddle with one or two strings used by the herdsmen in Mongolia.  This field collected suuk khuur has one metal string, a wood neck, and a rectangular resonator box.  There are ‘S’ stylized holes on either side of the single string, and two of the sides of the resonator box have rounded strips of cork.  The neck is a lighter wood that hangs over the resonator to create distance between it and the string that passes over a bridge and attaches to a carved wooden tailpiece at the bottom.  The top of the neck is carved into a horse head, and the single peg sticks through the neck of the horse with the grip side on top, at a 135-degree angle to the neck.  The suuk khuur is usually played while sitting cross-legged.  It is used to accompany dance, folk songs, and poetry.