November 13, 2015 by SURAYA MOHAMED Ancestor to the lute and the guitar, the oud ‎is an ancient stringed instrument commonly played throughout the Middle East, North Africa and countries like Greece and Turkey. The oud has charmed audiences for more than 5,000 years, and the tradition continues with this reverent performance by one of the world's best players, Rahim AlHaj. Born in Baghdad, AlHaj possesses a life story as powerful as his music. He learned to play the oud at age 9, and later g