The doumbek was originally played in Egypt, Armenia, and Turkey, and varieties are found across the Middle East. These varieties include the Hungarian dobouk, the Assyrian dombuk, and the Palestinian durbakeh, though as many as a dozen other countries offer their own variety.

Where does the doumbek come from?

Darbuka, also known as doumbek (or tumbak), or derbeki, is a Middle Eastern percussion instrument. The goblet-shaped single headed hand-drum is an ancient drum. It was originally played in Egypt, Armenia and Turkey. The darbuka is considered to be the leader of percussion instruments in the Middle East.

Who invented doumbek?

The Darbuka was popularized as part of the world music genre after its first appearance in western music in the mid 20th century. French composer Hector Berlioz was the first to feature a goblet drum within a western music composition, in his opera “Les Troyen”.