Museum and location search

Museum of the Mediterranean

Mezoued

Mezoued. Museum of the Mediterranean.

 

Mezoued. Museum of the Mediterranean.

 

The mezoued, which literally means 'sack' in Arabic, is a type of bagpipe played in Tunisia. The instrument consists of a goat-skin bag, with a double chanter, ending in two cow horns. It is one of the most traditional instruments from North Africa, and served to accompany dances and sacred music, sometimes at social gatherings. The vast majority of mezoued players had no musical training, they were entirely self-taught, so there is very little music written for this instrument. Luckily, professional musicians have recently begun to play the mezoued.

scroll to top icon