The doira is a single-headed frame drum with metal rings fastened around the inside of its hoop, traditionally covered in goatskin and roughly 40cm in diameter. Names for the same basic instrument shift by region — dapp in Khorezm, doiradast in Bukhara, and variants like dap, childirma, or chirmanda elsewhere across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and among Uyghur communities further east.

In performance, the doira carries the usul — the cyclical rhythmic pattern that underlies each section of a shashmaqom suite, moving from slow instrumental preludes through faster dance sections to an energetic finale. Modern masters, most notably Tashkent’s Abbos Kosimov, have carried the doira well beyond its traditional accompanying role, establishing it as a virtuoso solo voice on international concert stages.