The sitar is a beautiful traditional instrument from South Asia. It has got an oval body with a long neck and metal strings. It is very popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is believed that the Indian sitar was invented in the 13th century and it was often played at royal courts. In the 1950s, the sitar was used by western jazz bands and became popular in Europe and America. The Beatles' George Harrison played  the sitar in some of their songs. Today, the electric sitar is played by many different musicians around the world.