Ardin (harp)

The ardin is a stringed instrument constructed with a calabash sound box covered in leather, often highly decorated with paintings, with a wooden neck 100 cm (40 in) long.^[2] It typically has between 10 and 16 strings.^[3][a] The ardin is traditionally played by women, and is a smaller counterpart to the kora, which is played by men and has 21 strings.^[2] The strings are attached to tuning pegs on the neck and adjoin a metal plate with rings on the soundboard which vibrates when the strings are plucked.^[2] The leather sound board may also be beaten like a drum.^[7]

French: Ensuitte, elles firent chanter le'ur guiriote; elle tenoit une espèce de harpe dont le corps fait d'une calbace couverte de cuir avoit dix ou douze cordes qu'elle touchoit assez agréablement; elle commença donc a entonner une chanson arabe assez mélodieuse, mais fort languissante, a peu près a la manière des Espagnols ou Portugais, l'accompagnant de sa harpe avec beaucoup de mesure; mais ce qu'il y avoit de plus agréable c'est qu'elle se passionnoit extrêmement et faisoit quantité de petites façons et de mouvements de teste, faisant remuer a mesure tous les gris gris et pendeloques, montrant les plus belles dents du monde; tout ce que je trouvay a redire, c'est que ses mots parroissoient extrêmement rudes et comme tirez du gosier.

[Then, they had their griot sing; she held a kind of harp whose body made of a calabash covered with leather had ten or twelve strings which she played quite pleasantly; she then began to intone a rather melodious Arabic song, but very languid, almost in the manner of the Spanish or Portuguese, accompanying it with her harp with great measure; but what was most agreeable was that she became extremely passionate and made a number of little gestures and movements of the head, making all the gris gris and pendants move in time, showing the most beautiful teeth in the world; all that I found to complain about was that her words appeared extremely harsh and as if drawn from the throat.]

Michel Jajolet de la Courbe documented the existence of the instrument in West Africa as early as 1685.^[1] Singer and ardin player Dimi Mint Abba became renowned throughout the Muslim world after winning the 1977 Umm Kulthum song contest held in Tunis.^[3] In modern times, instruments like the ardin and tidinit are increasingly supplemented or replaced by the electric guitar.^[3]

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