The objective is to examine musical instruments used in religious contexts through archaeological findings, visual depictions, and written sources; to enable students to evaluate the structural characteristics, ritual functions, and symbolic meanings of these instruments within their historical contexts; and to develop students' skills in conducting comparative, source-based research by critically exploring the relationships between objects, representations, and interpretations.

The concepts of musical instruments—as sound-producing objects—along with their associations with the sacred and the symbolic, are examined, as are the principles of organological classification and documentation. The course covers the material, form, construction techniques, and functional contexts of archaeological instrument finds. Through selected examples from Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Mediterranean world, the relationships between musical instruments and divine figures, religious functionaries, offerings, votive practices, funerary rites, and ceremonial observances are explored. Furthermore, the use and symbolic interpretations of musical instruments within Turkish religious music and Sufi culture are evaluated; methodological challenges—such as the identification and nomenclature of instruments, historical continuity, reconstruction, and their representation in museum contexts—are also discussed.