This is the main instrument in Gnawa Music. Moroccan iron castanets of the Gnawa people.

Like most hand cymbals, there are two for each hand. To play, slip your thumb and fingers under the rope. The opening and closing of your hands slap the cymbals together to produce a loud clanky sound. With a set of two, you can produce rhythm patterns from the very simple to very complex.


Term "Gnawa" refers to black people who were enslaved in West Africa. It is commonly believed that Gnawa of Morocco were originally black slaves and who over time had become free under various historical circumstances. Historians believe that the Gnawa population originated from black West Africa - from Senegal to Chad and from Mali in the north to Nigeria in the south. Many of these enslaved people are thought to come from Old Ghana (a kingdom north of Mali) in the 11th through the 13th century.

Size: 11.5" L x 4.5" W



Weight: 4 Lb.