Description
Ash Tombak by Shirani — A Bright, Modern Persian Zarb
Where a walnut drum is dark and brooding, an ash tombak does the opposite: it is pale, crisp and quick to speak. Built by Shirani in Isfahan and graded three mohr, this is the drum for players who want their tek to cut and their zarb to carry across a room rather than sink into it.
The Character of Ash
Ash (zaban-e gonjeshk, “sparrow’s tongue”) is a pale, straight-grained hardwood — brighter in tone than walnut or mulberry, with a fast attack and a strongly projecting voice full of high-end clarity. Shirani keeps the bowl smooth and lacquers it to a high gloss, leaving the blonde grain and its soft figure on full show: a cleaner, more contemporary look than the darker woods.
Head, Band and Seal
A 28 cm camel-skin head — the widest of the two smooth models — balances ash’s brightness with a solid, resonant bass, so the drum stays full even as the treble sparkles. The woven Esfahan · Shirani band circles the head, and the burned oval seal carries the workshop’s three mohr, its semi-professional to professional mark.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maker | Shirani (Isfahan, Iran) |
| Instrument | Persian Tombak (Zarb) |
| Grade | 3 Mohr (three-seal) |
| Body | Ash — single turned shell, smooth |
| Head | Natural camel skin |
| Head diameter | 28 cm |
| Height | 47 cm |
| Weight | 3.9 kg |
| Finish | High-gloss lacquer |
| Decoration | Shirani woven band + burned seal |
| SKU | SH2 |
Who It Suits
28 cm head, 47 cm tall, 3.9 kg: a concert-scale tombak for the intermediate-to-professional player who wants brightness, projection and a pale, modern instrument for Persian classical and folk music. Prefer a deeper, darker voice? The walnut model (SH1) is its natural counterpart; for warm, classic resonance, see the ribbed mulberry (SH4).
Caring for the Head
Like every natural-skin drum, the ash tombak prefers stable conditions — away from direct heat, out of sudden draughts — and a little time to settle after a move. A dry cloth keeps the gloss clean, and there is no tuning to do. Browse the full Persian tombak range to compare woods side by side.
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