. Researchers have tentatively identified it as being part of the komuz family, noting its close resemblance to the modern
sugudu (苏古篤), with four strings, also known as
hubo (胡撥). These names possibly connect linguistically to the
shidurghū lute of the
Khatā’ī people of the Mongolian steppes and
huobosi ( 火撥思)
Hubosi is the Chinese version of the
qopuz.. The oldest known komuz-like instrument dates from the 4th century although the related
Azerbaijani gopuz is believed to date back to 6000 BC following an archaeological discovery of clay plates depicting gopuz players. In the 1960s American
archeologists working in the
Shushdagh mountains near the ancient city of Jygamish in Iranian Azerbaijan, uncovered a number of rare clay plates which dated back to around
6000 B.C. which depicted musicians at a council, holding a komuz-like instrument to their chests. The names of parts of the komuz are often allusions to body parts, particularly of horses. For example, the
neck is called "neck", the
tuning pegs are called , or "ear"s. The Kyrgyz word кыл/qyl means "
string of an instrument" or "horse's hair". Like another
lutes, the ancient komuz generally had two or three strings. The two-stringed
gil gopuz or
"iklyg" was used on the
Altai plains, in parts of
Turkmenistan and in Chinese territory inhabited by the
Uyghur people. The three-stringed
golcha gopuz was more popular in ancient
Azerbaijan and
Anatolia. it was mentioned in the
epic Book of Dede Korkut. It is made from a
leather covering which covered around two-thirds of the surface, and the other third is covered with thin wood along with the
sound board. The total length of the instrument is 810 mm, with the body 410 mm, the width 240 mm and the height or breadth only 20 mm. During the
Soviet era the instrument fell from favour. It was derided as rudimentary and attempts were made to make it more like the
Russian balalaika, notably by adding
frets. After independence the komuz was again taught in music colleges, though some of the Soviet changes have remained. In the twentieth century the late
Iranian
dutar player
Haj Ghorban Soleimani invented a new form of the komuz which has received some popularity.
Legendary origin In legends, Dede Korkut is seen as the inventor of the kopuz. In
The Book of Dede Korkut, his special bond with the kopuz is not limited to his performances as a
bard. Of particular importance, there is a passage in the story about the brothers Egrek and Segrek. When Segrek wants to attack Egrek, because he thinks he is dealing with an infidel, he says: Thus a random lute is directly connected to Dede Korkut here, which is presumably a reference to the fact that he was the inventor there. ==Related instruments==