"Pakistani Musical Instruments: A Traditional Guide"

The best-known traditional Pakistani musical instruments are the dhol and chimta of Punjab, the alghoza double flute and the damboora (tambooro) of Sindh, the rubab of the Pashtuns, the suroz and benju of Balochistan, and the Chitrali sitar, surnai and drums of the north. Most belong to a single region, and the easiest way to hear several in one place is the Lok Mela at Lok Virsa in Islamabad each November. For individual instruments, the shrine is often the best venue: dhol at Shah Jamal in Lahore, the tambooro at Bhit Shah, the drums at Sehwan.

This guide goes through the main instruments by type, explains what each sounds like and where it comes from, and says where you can hear it.

Which wind instruments are traditional in Pakistan?

Alghoza

The alghoza is a pair of wooden beak flutes, played at the same time: one carries the melody and the other holds a drone. The two pipes started out the same length, but one was shortened over time to change the sound, and players tune them with beeswax. The player uses circular breathing, breathing in through the nose while still blowing, so the sound never stops.

It is central to Sindhi folk music and is also played in Saraiki, Punjabi and Baloch music. The great Sindhi players include Misri Khan Jamali, Khamiso Khan and his son Akbar Khamiso Khan. Our guide to Sindhi Sufi music covers the wider Sindhi tradition.

Bareendo (borrindo)

The bareendo is a small hollow ball of clay with three or four holes, blown across the largest one. It goes back about 5,000 years to the Indus Valley Civilisation, and is still made in Sindh. In December 2025 UNESCO placed it on its list of heritage needing urgent safeguarding, noting that only two people are believed to have full mastery of it: the musician Ustaad Faqeer Zulfiqar and the master potter Allah Jurio, of Keti Mir Muhammad Loond village. It is a rare thing to hear live.

Surnai

The surnai is a loud, piercing reed pipe. In Gilgit-Baltistan it is made of apricot wood and played with two drums, the dadang and the damal (see below). A related pipe, the sorna, is part of Balochi dance music.

Which string instruments are traditional in Pakistan?

Rubab

The rubab is a short-necked lute carved from one block of mulberry wood, with a goat-skin face and a ringing set of sympathetic strings. It is the lead instrument of Pashto music. It has its own guide: the rubab.

Chitrali sitar

Despite its name, the Chitrali sitar is not related to the Indian classical sitar. It is a long-necked lute carved from a single block of mulberry wood, with five thin metal strings in three courses, and it belongs to the family of Central Asian and Iranian lutes. Players strum the top course with the forefinger while the other strings drone. It is often played in Chitral's tea rooms, to accompany singing, sometimes with drums or a jerry can beaten as a drum. Our Chitral culture guide puts it in context.

Damboora (tambooro)

In Sindh, the tambooro, also called the damburo or dambooro, is the long-necked lute of the faqirs at the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai in Bhit Shah. The tambooro used for the Shah jo Raag has five strings, unlike other tamburas, which have three or four. It is the only instrument allowed in the Shah jo Raag, and the faqirs strum it as a drone under their singing.

Baloch music has its own drone lute, the damburag or tamburag, which accompanies the suroz. Across the border in Afghanistan, the two-stringed, fretless dambura is the instrument of Hazara music.

Suroz

The suroz is the bowed fiddle of Balochistan and the heart of Baloch music. It has three or four main strings and five to eight sympathetic strings, and unlike the sarangi, the player touches the strings with the fingers without pressing them onto the neck. Instruments in southern Balochistan are smaller, and those of northern Balochistan and Sindh larger and lower-pitched. It is the usual accompaniment for zahirok, a melancholy Baloch song form. Playing it was once a hereditary profession of particular families, and it is now played more widely.

Benju

The benju is a keyed zither, about a metre long, with six strings: two pairs of drones and a middle pair played by pressing metal keys while the right hand plucks with a plectrum. Baloch musicians adapted it for their own music, and it is also heard in Sindh. Its best-known player, Ustad Noor Bakhsh from Balochistan, released his album Jingul in 2022 and played the Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2023, after most of a career spent at local gatherings.

Sarinda

The sarinda is a bowed instrument carved from one block of wood, with three playing strings and many sympathetic strings, played upright while seated on the ground. It was once a core folk instrument of Pashtun, Baloch and Sindhi musicians, but it is now nearly extinct in Pakistan. You are more likely to see one in a museum than on a stage.

Which drums and percussion are traditional in Pakistan?

Dhol

The dhol is a double-headed barrel drum, played with two sticks: the thick, curved dagga for the bass side and the thin, flexible teeli for the higher side. It is most at home in Punjab but is played from Karachi to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at weddings, cricket matches and above all at Sufi shrines, where its rhythms drive the dhamaal, the devotional trance dance.

The most famous dhol player of recent times was Pappu Sain, who played every Thursday night at the shrine of Baba Shah Jamal in Lahore for decades. Our Shah Jamal dhol night guide explains how the night works.

Naqqara and the Sehwan drums

At the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif, the evening dhamaal is driven by large kettle drums and gongs: the nagaro, nobat, gharyal and ghugoo. The drumming begins after the sunset prayer every evening. Our guide to Sehwan's dhamaal timing has the details.

Chimta

The chimta is a long, flat strip of steel or iron folded in half, like a pair of tongs, with metal jingles fixed along both arms. The player holds it at the fold and strikes the arms together, making a bright, rattling beat. It is a staple of Punjabi folk music and often plays alongside the dhol. Alam Lohar made it famous, and his son Arif Lohar still plays it on stage.

Dadang and damal

In Gilgit-Baltistan, the folk band is a trio: the dadang, a double-ended drum of juniper wood; the damal, a pair of small metal kettle drums; and the surnai. Together they play for most folk songs and dances. In Hunza these instruments were traditionally made and played by hereditary musician clans, the Bericho. By the 1980s the tradition had almost disappeared, with only one group left in Hunza and one in Nagar. Our guide to Gilgit-Baltistan music covers the dances they accompany.

Mangai and dholak

In Pashto music, the mangai, a clay pot played as a drum, traditionally accompanies the rubab. The dholak, a small barrel drum, is heard at weddings everywhere, especially at the women's singing evenings before a marriage.

Where can you hear traditional instruments live?

• Lok Mela, Islamabad. Ten days in November at Lok Virsa, with folk musicians from every province. In 2025 it ran from 7 to 16 November; the 2026 dates had not been announced in early October. See our Lok Mela guide.
• Lok Virsa museum, Islamabad. All year, with displays of traditional instruments alongside costume and crafts.
• Shah Jamal, Lahore. Dhol and dhamaal on Thursday nights.
• Bhit Shah, Sindh. The faqirs sing Shah jo Raag to the tambooro, with the biggest gathering on Thursday evenings.
• Sehwan Sharif, Sindh. Drums and dhamaal every evening after sunset.
• Hunza. The Leif Larsen Music Centre, set up by the Aga Khan Cultural Service with the Aga Khan Music Programme and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, trains young musicians from Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral in mountain music. Its students have performed at the Royal Garden of Altit Fort.

Is it worth planning a trip around?

If you love music, yes, and you don't have to go far. A Thursday night in Lahore puts you at Shah Jamal; a November weekend in Islamabad puts you in front of musicians from every province at the Lok Mela. Bhit Shah and Sehwan are a longer trip but give you living traditions in their own setting.

Several of these instruments are now rare. The sarinda is close to extinct in Pakistan, the bareendo has two masters left, and the hereditary musicians of Hunza nearly vanished in the late 20th century. When you get the chance to hear one of these played live, take it. Our Pakistani folk music guide and experiences page have more ideas.

Frequently asked questions