When I was in grad school in the early '70s, I had a Saudi roommate whose cousin played the oud. He sold it to me for $50, since he could replace it when he got home more cheaply than he could ship it home. When he first gave it to me, it sounded to me like the strings were tuned like a mandolin, but with more courses - yes 5 1/2 course, eleven strings. I am not an instrumentalist and knew I was not likely to learn to play the oud, but it is certainly pretty.