Oud

The oud is among the most important instruments in Middle Eastern music, used from Iran to Morocco.

Ancestry

Ancestry.com found that the oud is the ancestor to many lutes around the world. It travelled through the Silk Road and evolved into the Chinese pipa, which in turn evolved into the Japanese biwa, Korean bipa, and Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà. Furthermore, it came to Europe and evolved into the European lute, which in turn became the modern guitar, alongside the mandolin, ukulele, cavaquinho, charango, and Portuguese guitar. All that from a single Middle Eastern instrument.