The Turkish name for the wind instrument that is known as mizmar in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world. It is most likely the immediate predecessor of the European shawm, and is related to the Chinese suona. It is played in central Eurasia, Western Asia and parts of North Africa. usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Anatolian and Assyrian folk music.

The zurna is found almost everywhere where the common reed grows because it uses a short cylindrical reed that is tied to a conical brass tube on one end, flattened to a narrow slit on the other end. It requires high pressure to give any tone at all and when it does, it is almost constantly loud, high pitched, sharp, and piercing. The need for high pressure makes it suitable for playing without stop using circular breathing. A small pacifier style disk that the lips may lean on helps the lip muscles that hold the high pressure air, rest and recover during long non stop playing sessions.

The combination of constant volume and non stop playing makes the zurna unsuitable for emphasising rhythm, and it is therefore usually played outdoors with big drums that both provide the rhythm and the lower frequencies to balance the zurna's loud high-pitched sound.

It has a cylindrical bore, and a bell opening out in a parabolic curve to project the sound. Seven holes on the front, and one thumb hole, provide a range of over one octave including some transposition.