The oud ('ud) has been a part of the Armenian musical tradition for several centuries, yet the development of the oud, and information on the key people responsible for making these instruments, remains poorly documented.

The following is an attempt to  provide some biographical information on the prominent Armenian oud makers of the past 200  years. 

The information comes from a variety of sources.  Much of it was obtained from talking to musicians, luthiers, and collectors. 

The list is nowhere near complete. 

Biographical information is often very limited, or even non-existent.  In these cases, I have listed the dates of those ouds that I am aware of that have been made by these luthiers in an effort to at least determine what era they made their instruments.  These include the dates of those instruments that I have actually seen, or that I am aware of having been offered for sale.

With the following, I hope that it will be possible to document all of the significant Armenian oud-makers based around the world, both living and deceased.  Ideally, it is hoped that it will be possible to have some brief biographical information, pictures of representative ouds, pictures of the oud label, and of the luthier.  I am in no way an expert.  It is my hope that by placing this information on the internet I will be able to learn more about these luthiers, their instruments, and their craft.    Any additional information would be greatly appreciated.  Pictures of the luthiers, and/or their instruments, also greatly appreciated.  Email me at:  varjouds@aol.com

Click on the pages below for further information on these luthiers, and for pictures of their instruments.

E-MAIL

I am interested in purchasing any ouds made by Sam (Sarkis) Varjabedian, in any condition whatsoever.    Please contact me at:  varjouds@aol.com

If you have photographs of an Armenian oud that you can share, please email me.  Ideally, I would like for this website to expand almost into a data bank for Armenian ouds, with several examples of ouds from each luthier.  

Udların tarihiyle çok ilgileniyorum, bilhassa İstanbulda ve Anadolunun çeşitli yerlerinde Ermeni ustalarca yapılanlarla. Bununla ilgili bana verebileceğiniz bir bilgi varsa minnettar olurum. Türkçe anlamıyorum,dolayısıyla Türkçe yazılan bu mektupları benim için bir arkadaşım çeviriyor. Bu yüzden Türkçe yazılan bu mektupları cevaplamak bazen vakit alıyor,  ama onları yanıtlıyorum Eski ud resimlerine, onları yapan ustaların ve atölyelerinin resimlerine göz atmak her zaman ilgimi çekmiştir. Bunun gibi fotoğrafları websiteme eklemekten memnun olurum ve bana gönderilenler için minnettarım. Fotoğrafları isminizle veya kimlik belirtmeksizin listeleyebilirim. Lütfen e mail göndermekten çekinmeyin. 

Son olarak, ud ile ilgili olmamakla birlikte Türkiye ile ilgili başka bir web sitem daha var: www.Efkere.com, İç Anadolu köylerinden birinin tarihi ile ilgilidir.

This website created by Dr. Jonathan Varjabedian