A stringed instrument that is played with a bow, the kamancha is found
among Eastern and Central Asian peoples under variety of names.

The kamancha plays as important a role in an Azerbaijani folk ensemble
as the violin does in an orchestra. Early kamanchas found in
Azerbaijan were made of pumpkin and nutmeg wood and decorated with
ivory. The one-stringed and two-stringed kamanchas are thought to be
descendents of the ancient Azerbaijani gopuz played with a bow.

The kamancha appears in medieval Azerbaijani literature as well as
traditional painted miniatures. The medieval musical analyst, Abdul
Qadir Maraghai, specifically mentioned the kamancha among other
instruments of the period. The poet Nizami (1141-1209) of Ganja, a
town in North Western Azerbaijan, also mentioned the kamancha in his
famous epic "Khosrov and Shirin." One of the most famous members of
the 16th century Tabriz school of miniatures, Mir Saeed Ali, depicts
the kamancha among other instruments in his miniatures (see left).

The kamancha reached its highest level of popularity in the 19th
century in connection with the development of Azerbaijan's khanande
art form (modal improvisations by folk singers).

Source: The Azerbaijan Musical Instruments by Majnun Kerimov