DUBAI, 24 May 2007 -- The market in traditional Arabic musical instruments is booming, according to exhibitors at PALME Middle East 2007, an event ongoing at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) that showcases high-tech audio- visual equipment and musical instruments.

"Demand for the Arabian oud (lute) is growing," said Mohammed Saleem Butt, MD of Saleem Musical Instruments, one of 272 exhibitors representing 800 companies at the three-day exhibition.

"I've been in the industry for 25 years and the market has never been as strong as it is today. In 2006, our sales of ouds increased by 25 percent over the previous year, while the increase in the sales of strings was up by more than 50 percent, from Euros 35,000 in 2005 to Euros 85,000 last year."

Saleem's company manufactures ouds at its regional workshop in Kuwait and is also the exclusive distributor of Thomastik strings in the Middle East.

He attributed the growing demand for ouds to an emphasis among the region's leaders on preserving Arabian heritage. In markets such as Kuwait, education also plays a key role, as school children are encouraged to play stringed instruments.

Manufactured with wood from Germany, India and Pakistan -- including the same spruce used on Hofner guitars -- Saleem's ouds retail from upwards of $350. At PALME this week a customer paid $2,500 for a single oud.

While demand for ouds is particularly strong in the Middle East, Saleem reported interest from the United States. "The USA is a big market for us, and it's not just Arab-Americans who want the instruments, but other musicians and even non-musicians who appreciate its distinctive appearance and want to display it in their homes."

Darren Brechin, Group Exhibitions director, Entertainment & Installation Technology Group, for exhibition organizers IIR Worldwide, added that "PALME Middle East 2007 is a regional showcase for the very latest, state-of-the-art technology, but in the drive for progress and modernization in the Middle East, we must never overlook the region's rich heritage. So we're pleased that the event is as much of a platform for the Arabian oud as it is for the latest high-tech equipment and instruments."

© Arab News 2007