These strings also end outside the construction. One explanation for why both string systems protrude beyond the instrument could be that the draftsman continued to draw the string ends, which hang down after their point of attachment and were often provided with an appendage and left for decoration, as a straight line. The Madrid instrument has 40 strings, 27 of which run across the closed body and 13 perpendicular to the frame; the drawing from Cairo shows a šāh-rūd with 48 strings, 29 strings across the body and 19 to the frame.
The extended string ends beyond the instrument's construction could be attributed to the draftsman continuing to draw them as straight lines after their attachment point, often adorned with an appendage for decoration. The Madrid instrument has 40 strings, 27 running across the closed body and 13 perpendicular to the frame; the Cairo drawing shows a šāh-rūd with 48 strings, 29 across the body and 19 to the frame.