A long-necked waisted string instrument of the lute family, now shared by many cultures and countries across Western Asia. It was revised into its current sound range in the middle of the 18th century and has since remained one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus, particularly in Persian classical music.

The body is a double-bowl shape carved from mulberry wood, with a thin membrane of stretched lambskin covering the top. The long fingerboard has 26 to 28 adjustable gut frets, and there are 3 double courses of strings. Its range is about 2 and one-half octaves and it is played with a small brass plectrum.

The name tar is also used for a Middle Eastern frame drum.