Historically, the Saz (Sazi, in Greek) most probably originated from the ancient Pandourida (Pandura). In fact, reference to a similar instrument is made in the school of Pythagoras, and its presence in Greece goes back to at least the 4th century B.C., according to a relief found in Mantineia. The name “Saz” is probably of Turkish origin. Instruments of the saz type all share certain characteristic features: a long neck, three steel strings, movable frets (which divide the neck into segments that determine semitones or quarter tones), which were made of intestines in the past, and of plastic in contemporary instruments, and an almond-shaped body. These features define a large family of instruments, which includes all types of long-necked Lutes. With the passage of time, its technical features evolved. A significant change is the fact that the “curves” of past versions now tend to be somewhat flatter. It is likely that the use of the instrument spread among Arab populations under the influence of Byzantine musical culture, and eventually became a part of Ottoman musical culture. There are no particular rules governing the way different saz types are tuned. They are, however, commonly tuned in G-D-A. Musicians often tune their instruments according to the mode (maqam) they are playing, and the singer’s voice. Hence, other likely tunings are E-D-A, G-D-G, A-D-A, etc. Playing techniques also vary; the most popular, however, is to pluck the strings with the right hand, which follows the rhythm of the melody, and press down on them with the left hand. In Asia Minor, in the early 20th century, the original strings were replaced with steel ones, similar to those of the Bouzouki, the Mandolin and the acoustic Guitar. Another significant change was the abolition of quarter tones, and the adaptation of the new instrument to the Western European chromatic scale. During the 1920s, the shape of the Saz began to resemble that of the Mandolin. In addition, tuning in D-A-D, whereby the third string was tuned on two octaves, and the remaining two in unison, was established as standard. This development led to a number of variations of saz-type instruments, including, according to certain scholars, the Bouzouki, the Baglamas and the Tzouras.