Bendir

The bendir also called erbeni or arbani is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa. Unlike the tambourine, it has no jingles but most often has a snare (usually made of gut) stretched across its head, which when the drum is struck with the fingers or palm gives the tone a buzzing quality. The bendir is a frame drum with a wooden frame and a membrane. It creates different tones according to the spreading of the shock waves moving across the skins itself. A frame drum is the oldest and most common kind of drum. The bendir is used throughout North Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The bendir drum has been around since prehistoric times.

The bendir is about 14 to 16 inches. The drum is played kept vertical by inserting the thumb of the left hand in a special holes in the frame. The bandir or bendir is used in the special ceremonies of the Sufi. The Sufi tradition is strongly characterized by the use of music, rhythm, and dance to reach particular states of consciousness. The bendir has a small hole in the bottom, which is used to balance the drum at the base of the left thumb as the left hand fingers that the rim and the right hand plays the rim and center. During the tradition another drum the accompanies the Bendir which is small and close ended called the bongos. Bongos produce a very high pitch. They are made of clay or glazed pottery and are laced together with a leather strap.