arghūl

musical instrument

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Last updated

June 18, 2026

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The arghūl is an Egyptian musical reed instrument. It is similar to other double clarinets found in the Mediterranean and Middle East, such as the mizmār and zamr. These instruments are played using a technique called circular breathing, which allows the player to sustain a continuous sound by breathing through the nose while exhaling from the cheeks.12

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aulos
…of double clarinets—such as the arghūl, mizmār, and zamr—that are played in the Mediterranean littoral and the Middle East. The performer’s cheeks often look bulged because the two single reeds vibrate continuously inside the mouth as the player uses nasal (or circular) breathing.
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…of double clarinets—such as the arghūl, mizmār, and zamr—that are played in the Mediterranean littoral and the Middle East. The performer’s cheeks often look bulged because the two single reeds vibrate continuously inside the mouth as the player uses nasal (or circular) breathing.
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wind instrument
Reedpipes
…flourished, and closely related instruments—the arghūl of the Middle East, which has one long drone pipe and one short fingered pipe, and the launeddas of Sardinia, which consists of three pipes—also preserve the same shrill reedy sound that must have been characteristic many centuries ago.
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…flourished, and closely related instruments—the arghūl of the Middle East, which has one long drone pipe and one short fingered pipe, and the launeddas of Sardinia, which consists of three pipes—also preserve the same shrill reedy sound that must have been characteristic many centuries ago.
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