A tapan is a large double-headed frame-drum originating in ancient Macedonia and the Middle East. It was used in ceremonies in ancient Greece such as religious festivals, or war marches such as the Macedonian warrior Alexander the Great's army. It has a deep sound and is made of wood and cow or goat skin.

Tǔpan is the Bulgarian word for this kind of drum. Tǔpans are commonly used in Bulgarian folk music. They are also used in Turkish folk music where they are called davul's. The Turkish and Bulgarian style of tǔpan playing uses two kinds of sticks. The drummer plays the accented beats with a large stick on one of the drumheads, which is often muted with a cloth. The player also plays unaccented beats on the other head with a thin switch.

Note on transliteration: the word тъпан is commonly transliterated either as "tǎpan" or "tǔpan". For proper pronunciation see the Bulgarian language page.

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