Ghijak vintage antique Turkmenistan spike lute fiddle

  
String Lute / Spike Lute / Spike Fiddle. I looked up various instruments, and found a photo of an almost identical item held by a museum in Turkmenistan, dated 1800s, and featured in a book produced by the government, thus. Annanepesov TURKMEN PEOPLE IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS YOUR LOST EARTH HISTORY A textbook for high schools Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan presented by Turkmen State Publishing Service Ashgabat - 2012. The post office won't take letters from out of the country.

The metal inside this is quite aged. I think the metal by the knobs is a newer repair. This item has been used a lot, and has some age; the 2 strings are a solid wire; the other one is 2 stranded.

The metal piece that runs through the middle is crude, and very worn, esp the "spike" end that sticks out. I do not have the bow.

Whatever this is, it is. I have inquired of more places to further ID this. I doubt it is worth what I listed it for - and hope for some good advice. Kamanache, spike fiddle - a similar item I found in a museum, however clearly not the same item. The ghijak also spelled ghidjak, ghichak, gidzhak, gijak, g'ijjak,, [1] or ghijek Uighur:?????

Romanized: ghijek, or occasionally Uighur:?????? , is a group of related spike fiddles, used by Afghans, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Tajiks, Turkmens, Qaraqalpaks and in the Xinjiang province of western China.

Despite the similarity of the name, it is more closely related to the Persian kamancheh than the ghaychak. Please feel free to make an offer, or ask about multiple item discounts. Items carefully packed - special packing requests, let me know. Crisp printed labels, w/ moisture protection. Marked properly: "Magnetic Media - Do Not Xray", International Fragile stickers, Do Not Bend, Glass, etc.

Local Pick-up available, contact me. I have an extensive history as a collector of art, scientific items, computers, and bookselling. NOTE: This does not apply to export / import prohibited items.