Gusle

The gusle (Serbian Cyrillic: гусле) or lahuta (Albanian: lahutë; related to English lute) is a bowed single-stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanied by singing; musical folklore, specifically epic poetry. The gusle player (Serbian Cyrillic: гуслар, romanized: guslar; Albanian: lahutar) holds the instrument vertically between the knees, with the left hand fingers on the string. The string is never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound. On November 29, 2018, the Serbian Gusle was inscribed as a part of Serbia's intangible cultural heritage on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On December 9, 2025, the Albanian Lahuta was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.