The ney is one of the oldest flutes in the world: a simple open reed tube with finger holes, blown obliquely across the edge. Producing a sound on it is extremely difficult, and masterful playing is unmistakable — breathy, airy, with a faint rustle of air that gives it a deep humanity and intimacy.
The ney has a thousand-year history in the music of Persia, the Arab world, Turkey, and Central Asia. It took on a special, sacred meaning in the Sufi tradition: the great poet Rumi sang of the ney as a symbol of the soul that longs for its separation from the Divine source. In Turkish classical maqam music and the ceremonies of the whirling dervishes, the ney remains the principal wind instrument — a voice of meditation, longing, and spiritual ascent.
