The oud (sometimes spelled 'ud) looks a bit like a guitar but with a shorter neck, no frets, and 11 strings arranged in pairs. It is played by plucking the strings with a pick called a risha (meaning 'feather'). The sound is warm and rich, somewhere between a guitar and a lute, and it can sound both playful and deeply moving depending on how it is played.
The ney is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. It is a simple open-ended flute - just a hollow reed with holes cut into it - but playing it beautifully takes years of practice. The player blows across the top of the reed at an angle to create the sound, and skilled musicians can produce a wide range of haunting, breathy tones.
Oud and ney music often features in Libyan celebrations, family gatherings, and storytelling. The music does not usually follow fixed written notation - musicians learn by ear, listening and repeating, adding their own improvised decoration to familiar melodies. This tradition of improvisation is part of what makes each performance unique.
The oud is found across the Arab world, Turkey, Greece, and Ethiopia - each region has developed its own distinct playing style. Libya's musical tradition blends Arab, Berber, and sub-Saharan African influences, making it particularly rich and varied.