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Spain/ Maghreb: From the 13th-century ‘Book of Chants’, an Arab (left) and a Christian play the oud together.

Spain/ Maghreb: From the 13th-century ‘Book of Chants’, an Arab (left) and a Christian play the oud together.

The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging evolutionary paths. The oud is readily distinguished by its lack of frets and smaller neck.