The darbuka/doumbek is a goblet shaped hand drum used in Arabic music, Persian music, Balkan music, Armenian music, Azeri music and Turkish music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance helps it to produce a distinctively crisp sound. It is of ancient origin, and is believed by some to have been invented before the chair.

The darbuka/doumbek has a single drum head on one end and is open on the other end. The body may be made of  aluminum or copper. Materials for the head include synthetics, as well as more traditional animal skins, such as goat or fish. In general, darbukas/doumbeks tend to have much lighter heads than African or Indian drums.

While ceramic bodies with skin heads are usually considered to have the best tone, metal bodies and Mylar heads are generally favored by professional musicians because of their practicality, since they are far more durable, easily tunable, and insensitive to weather conditions. Furthermore, drums with Mylar skins can be played very loudly, making them well-matched with modern brass and electric instruments.