The lavta is a plucked string instrument from Istanbul. It has a small body made of many ribs using carvel bending technique, looking like a small (Turkish) ud, gut strings like an ud but only 7 strings in 4 courses and tunable: A dd gg c'c' (like the ud), or sometimes A dd aa d'd' (in intervals of 5ths like laouto as well as 4ths); also tuned to Turkish Bolahenk tuning C G D A which is G D A E concert pitch.