The dombra is a long-necked, two-stringed instrument, possessing a resonating chamber, somewhat similar to a banjo or a lute, and especially popular in the Central Asian nations. Image File history File links Dombra. ... A string instrument (also stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... The banjo is a stringed instrument, derived from the banjar, a stringed instrument of American origins, sometimes called the gourd banjo. The banjar, in turn was based on the African akonting. Some etymologists derive it from a dialectal pronunciation of bandore, though recent research suggests that it may come from... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The dombra is played by either strumming with the hand or plucking each string individually, with an occasional tap on the main surface of the instrument. While the two strings are traditionally made of sinew, modern dombras are usually produced using nylon strings.

It is a traditional instrument of Central Asia, and is especially popular in such countries as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, among others. The Uzbek dombra is usually unfretted, while the Kazakh dombra is played with a fret.

The Kazakh poet, Abai Kunanbaev, is often shown holding a dombra at rest. In fact, the instrument is a very traditional one, and many hold it in high regard as a symbol of nationalism among the post-Soviet nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Abai Kunanbaiuli Abai Ibragim Kunanbaiuli (Kazak: Абай Ибрагим Кунанбайулы Russian: Because of Russian influence many people know him as Abai Kunanbaev) (August 10, 1845 - July 5, 1904) was a Kazakh poet, composer, and philosopher, as well as an important cog in the development of Kazakh as a legitimate written language. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None; Russian (de facto) Capital Moscow Area  - Total  - % water Largest on the planet 22,402,200 km²  ?% Population  - Total  - Density 3rd before collapse 293,047,571 (July 1991) 13. ... The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. ...

There are a number of similar instruments that differ very little from the dombra described here. Turkmenistan has the dutar. Tajikistan has the dombura.

See also

• domra (a similarly pronounced Russian string instrument)
• kobyz (a bowed instrument, played like a cello)
• shan-kobyz (similar to a jew's harp)
• sibizghi (a flute-like instrument)