Ottoman Ud

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The lute's origins are rooted in the Middle Asian region, where it was initially known as Kopuz, a Turkic instrument characterized by its wide body. Arabs adopted this design and dubbed it "al-oud," later introducing it to Egypt, which catapulted its popularity worldwide. In Europe, it underwent various name changes - from "luth" and "liuto" to "laud," "Luit," and eventually "lute." Interestingly, the Turks, familiar with Arabic's use of "al-" as a determiner akin to "the," opted to drop this prefix, settling on simply "ud."