kanun

Kanun refers to two distinct traditions that share a single name in the Balkan and Middle Eastern world. In Albanian historical culture, the Kanun denotes a set of customary laws known as the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini. It governed private life in northern Albania and parts of Kosovo and Montenegro, addressing kinship, marriage, property, oath-taking, and personal honor. The code was transmitted orally for centuries and was later written down in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notably by Shtjefën Gjeçovi. Its core concepts include besa, an oath of honor, and gjakmarrja, blood feud practices that regulated compensation and retaliation. The Kanun operated alongside religious and state authorities and varied by region. With modernization and political changes in the 20th century, its practical force declined, though it remains a topic of scholarly study and is recognized as a facet of Albanian cultural heritage.

Kanun also refers to a traditional plucked string instrument used in Middle Eastern, North African, and Balkan music, commonly spelled qanun in many languages. The instrument has a large, trapezoidal soundboard with strings laid out in multiple courses and is played with plectra attached to the fingers. It supports microtonal tuning and is adjustable via levers or other mechanisms, allowing access to modal scales such as maqams. The kanun is used in classical ensembles, folk music, and contemporary compositions across different regions, contributing a distinctive shimmering texture to ensembles.