Collection: Bendirs

The bendir is used throughout North Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The bendir drum has been around since prehistoric times.

The bandir or bendir is used in the special ceremonies of the Sufi. The Sufi tradition is strongly characterized by the use of music, rhythm, and dance to reach particular states of consciousness.

The bendir often has a snare (traditionally made of gut) stretched across the head, which gives the tone a buzzing quality when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm. The drum is played in a vertical position. One holds the drum by looping the thumb of the non-dominant hand through a hole in the frame.

Similar frame drums include the tar of Egypt and the bodhrán of Ireland. Unlike the bendir, the tar does not have a snare on the back of the frame, and the bodhrán is played with a beater.