A goblet-shaped drum, covered with skin and tuned by ropes, the djembe originates from West Africa, and has been traced to the Mandinka caste of blacksmiths known as the Numu. The musical instrument spread across the west coast of Africa with the rise of the Mali Empire (1230 AD), now the modern day countries of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Gambia