The dutar (also spelled dotar; Persian: دوتار, romanized: dutâr; Russian: Дутар; Tajik: Дутор; Uzbek: Дутор; Uyghur: دۇتار, Дутار, romanized: Dutar; simplified Chinese: 都塔尔; traditional Chinese: 都塔爾; pinyin: Dū tǎ ěr; Dungan: Дутар) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central Asia.

Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings," دوتار do tār (< دو do "two," تار tār "string"). However, the Herati dutar from Afghanistan has fourteen strings.

The dutar is widely used in Tajikistan and the Khorasan province of Iran. When played, the strings are usually plucked by the Uyghurs of Western China and strummed or plucked by the Tajiks, Turkmen, and Uzbeks. Related instruments include the Kazakh dombra. The dutar is also important among the tork of Khorasan, where Haj Ghorban Soleimani of Quchan was a famous musician. In tork, a person who plays the dutar is called a bakci (bakhshi), similar to the Turkmen bagşy, while in Azeri, the term is ashiq. Khorasan bakhshi music is listed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In the 15th century, the dutar began as a simple shepherd’s instrument with strings made from gut. Later, with the Silk Road trade, gut strings were replaced by twisted silk from China. Today, some instruments still use silk strings, while others use nylon or steel strings.

The dutar has a warm, pleasant sound. The pear-shaped instrument typically measures between one and two meters in length.

It is usually tuned to La Re or A D, though the exact tuning may vary by region.

Turkmen dutar specifications

In the 1920s, music expert Viktor Belyayev described the dutar as an instrument with a neck usually made of apricot wood. Today, its strings are more often made of steel instead of silk or gut. Traditionally, the dutar has 13 frets that help play notes in a specific pattern, and it is tuned to intervals called fourths.

Over time, the dutar has changed from being used only to accompany singers to also being played in groups and for music without singing.

The Smithsonian Institution describes the Turkmen dutar as a two-stringed lute with frets, made from apricot, mulberry, and walnut wood. It uses steel for its frets, strings, and tuning pegs.

Notable players

• Turgun Alimatov (1922–2008)
• Abdurahim Hamidov (1952–2013)
• Abdurehim Heyit (Uyghur) (1962–)
• Alireza Soleimani (from Aliabad, Khorasan)
• Haj Ghorban Soleimani (1920–2008)
• Sanubar Tursun (1971–)