Begena

The begena (or bèguèna, as in French) is an Ethiopian string instrument belonging to the family of the lyre. According to Ethiopian oral tradition, Menelik I brought the instrument to Ethiopia from Israel, where David played on it to soothe King Saul's nerves and heal him of insomnia. Its actual origin remains in doubt, though Ethiopian manuscripts depict the instrument at the beginning of the 15th century (Kimberlin 1978: 13).