Saz means musical instrument (among other meanings) in Persian; the oud is often called
"sultan-e-saz" or king of the instruments. In Iran, though no instrument is called saz (the
tar is sometimes referred to as the "amir-e saz",
or prince of instruments), but in Turkey,
the saz is a long-neck lute of several sizes. All share common features; Metal 
strings,
long thin neck with tied nylon (formerly gut) frets, wood (or plastic composite) pegs,
often without a hole for the strings (the special way of wrapping the strings suffices to
hold them on the peg), three courses with the 3rd (and often the 1st) course doubled in
octaves, Almond-shaped hemipyriform body carved from a single piece of mulberry, or
more common now than ever, lute-type staved wood, and a soundboard with small
"wings". Over the years the gross design features have changed little, but some details
have been altered to suit changes in taste, manufacturing methods, tuning patterns, etc.
Formerly the tops were strongly curved, but now they tend to a flatter shape.
It originated in Central Asia where Turks lived before their westward migration. Like the guitar in Spain and the bouzouki in Greece, the Saz is the most popular stringed instrument in Turkey. Although similar in shape to the Greek Bouzouki, the construction, size and sound of the Saz is different. You need a baglama saz to be able to play the microtones (Perde) of Arabic music. These instruments have traditional tied frets that are movable, and 3 courses of strings
The Saz can be heard on Temptation.
