The Morin khuur

This stringed musical instrument derives its name from the horsehead ornament that adorns its top. The horsehead fiddle is very common throughout Mongolia, with every family likely to have one and place special value on it. Mongolian traditional songs and melodies are played on it, although it can also be used to play any other type of music. It has a trapezoid-shaped sound-box made of wood and the horsehead is usually painted green. The strings are made of hair from a horse’s tail. To make the strings, the hair is boiled and stretched to the required length. There are also swan-head fiddles, lion-headed fiddles and dragon-head fiddles.