Kemenche (Kemanche, Kamancha, Kemen) is a spiked fiddle. It is played on the knee with a horse-hair bow which is tightened with the hand while playing. A Kemenche is from Eastern Armenia (Caucasus region). The body of this Kemenche is in the shape of a parabola and it has 4 strings. Armenians from the Black Sea (Sev Dzov) Trabzon region of a village called Shabin Karahisar (Black Castle) played another type of Kemenche. This Kemenche is also known as a Black Sea, Karadeniz, Laz, or Pontos Kemenche. The shape of this Kemenche is similar to the violin. It has 3 or 4 strings.