glossary

abaya Men and women can wear the abaya. It is made out of a simple square piece of fabric, open in front with holes for the arms and it goes down to the ground. It is an outer garment that creates part of the many layers of dress worn in Egypt.
abyad white
accordion The accordion is a European invention from the 19th century. It is mostly associated with the common people and was spread by Europeans who emigrated to different countries. It became popular among folk musicians and has been integrated into traditional music styles all over the world. In Egypt the accordion is used in the urban baladi music, which developed in urban areas like Cairo, Alexandria or El Minya during the turn of the last century. There it took on an important role in the instrumental solo improvisations and the accompaniment of the mawal, the improvisation of the voice. See also instruments. CD Tip Dinga Dinga.
afflah The afflah is a musical section within the urban and the rural ‘ashra baladi’ and marks the end of the dance and music piece. Musicians and dancer speed up the rhythm and wind down for a final stop.
afrangi The term afrangi means western, European, modern or inauthentic.
ahaat Ahaat is a technique used in Middle Eastern vocal music, involving the use of melodic variations on the letter ‘a’.  This gives the impression of a sigh and  is typically used to express strong emotion such as longing or sorrow. Ahaat is used in art music as well as in light classical music, such as that performed by the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.
alma/
awalem (pl)		 Awalem were female professionals in the field of music, poetry and dance. They were well educated, able to sing, recite poetry and dance with sophistication. They performed mainly for female audiences in the noble houses and in the royal courts.
anashid sufi songs
ashra baladi The ashra baladi originally was a rural dance form for men. The dancer followed specific musical sections and performed with a stick (assaya). This particular musical structure moved to the city with the migration of the ‘fellahin’. The ashra baladi of the village became a complex music genre that accompagnied the repertoire of the female dancers. It was also called the ‘baladi taqasim’ of Cairo and Alexandria: the music of the Egyptian café houses.
arghul The arghul is double-piped clarinet with a mouthpiece. The longer tube acts as a drone and produces a very rich sound. It is a typical Egyptian instrument which traditionally accompanied epic songs, mawaweel and dances. An ancient arghul was found in the tomb of Tutakhamen and can be seen in the Egyptian Museum. The virtuoso playing of musicians like Mustapha Abdel Aziz reminds us of its noble past. He passed away some years ago. CD tip  Spirit of the Heart
awadi The awadi is a musical section within the urban baladi repertoire ( ‘ashra baladi’).  In the awadi section musicians begin with a melody accompagnied by the tabla which plays a steady rhythm with punctuates stops. Suited to female movements this section is slow and soulful.
awlad (pl) Awlad (pl) means children. The traditional professional entertainer tribes, musicians and dancers, who passed down their expertice within the family tribe, often use that term as a name for their music or dance group. For example the awlad Mazin would mean: the children of the Maazin family who were known for their ghawazee dance.
awlad il balad The expression awlad il balad literally means tha children of the country. It is a central concept of Egyptian identity and characterizes the attributes of the “the real Egpytian”. Particularly after the 1952 revolution, with the end of the foreign domination, this concept came to represent the true Egyptian. Awlad il Balad are intelligent about live, belong to the lower middle class, are known for their good humor, are generous, honest, helpful and responsible. They life in a traditional urban quarter, speak the local dialect are generous and hospital.
awlad Mazin

children of the Mazin family.
awlad Murad children of the Murad family. For further information on this entertainertribe family see the 24 page booklet of the CD ‘Al Masdar’. See also articles. CD tip Al Masdar.
azraq blue
badawi/
bedu (pl) 		A person belonging to a beduin tribe.
bahrawi A person from the Nile Delta in the north or Egypt.
baladi Baladi mans ‘popular’ and ‘traditional’.  It refers to land or nation but also to village or town. The term is associated with people from the peasant class and the rural areas  and stands for the life style these people have maintained and which is connected to the value system of Egypt’ s rural population.
baladi dance A recent form of Egyptian dance which developed within the urban environment of Cairo and Alexandria in the early 1900s. Country people who migrated to the city found a new prosperity during this period. Their arts flourished. Folk tunes, songs and rhythms took on new colour, shape and sophistication, with the simple folk song and dance becoming more refined and complex. With the influence of new western instruments such as the accordion and the saxophone, the baladi repertoire of music and dance was born.
baladi singer Popular singer coming from the tradition of the country people.
baladiyya A baladiyya is a popular women who is dressed in the traditional way.
bedu bedouin, tribal nomad.
bint il balad Doughter of the country.  See ‘awlad il balad’.
darabuka see ‘tabla’
dawr A dawr is a genre of Arabic vocal music sung in regional or colloquial Arabic. The genre faded in popularity after the 1920s.
dhikr The dhikr is a mystical religious experience and part of the sufi rituals with the aim to reach spiritual union with God. The rituals include the reading of mystical texts, music (sama), singing (ghina), trance movements and the evocation of the holy names of God (dhikr).
dulab The dulab is a short instrumental composition used as an introduction in Middle eastern art music, which serves to introduce the maqam.  It is generally performed in unison of all musicians in the ensemble.
dum Base rhythm played on divers percussion instruments like the tablah, duff and doholla.
duff The duff is a simple wooden frame drum with a single membranemade of goat skin. The doff accompagnies the tabla with the base rhythm. See also instruments.
dulab The dulab is a lively musical introduction to capture the attention of the audience. The dulab is a musical section within the traditional ‘ashra baladi’.
epic song poem song
fann The word fann is similar in meaning to the word tarab. It literally means art or craft and has been used in reference to the local urban music. Quite prevalent is the expression ‘fann al-tarab’, which means the art of tarab.
fannana female artist
fellah (m)/
fellaha (f)/
fellahin (pl)		 Peasant, farming community in Egypt. The term implies regional identity of northern (Nile Delta)Egypt.
fitiwwah
fitiwwat (pl) 		strongman or a neighbourhood who protects the quarter. The fitiwwah typically performed the stickdance (raqs al assaya) in the village or his neighbourhood.
firaq el quwmia national folk dance troupes in Egypt.
fustan dress

ghaziya/

ghawazee (pl)

 Ghawazee are professional traditional dancers, largely herediaty who perform in groups in the countryside and at moulids (saint´s day celebrations).
galabeya The traditional, long and wide costume for men have long wide sleeves. The Egyptians call the wide shape ’shamsiya’. They are made of cotton in different qualities. The traditional colours of a male galabeya are black, grey, brown, beige, dark blue or dark green. A white finer galabeya would be used to ware under the main galabeya. But also a women’s house dress is called a galabeya. It can also be a black light gown worn by women over a housedress.
hadra meeting. The public zar for example is called hadra and is a weekly ceremony with music and dance for possessed women.
hafla party
ibn il balad / awlad il balad (pl) The expression awlad il balad literally means the children of the country. It is a central concet of Egyptian identity and characterizes the attributes of the ‘the real Egpytian’. Particularly after the 1952 revolution, with the end of the foreign domination, his concept came to represent the true Egyptian. Awlad il Balad are intelligent about live, belong to the lower middle class, are known for their good humor, are generous, honest, helpful and responsible.
ingerarah The ingerarah is a musical section within the rural and the urban ‘ashra baladi’. ‘Ingerar’ means to extend. This section is an extention of the tet section where the tablah adds more colour and other instruments weave in and out improvising within the fast rhythm.
inshad The inshad is a popular form of religious chanting found particularly in Upper Egpyt.
kaftan The kaftan is a traditional male garment. It has the same shape of the galabeya and is worn under the galabeya. It is made out of cotton or silk.
kawala a variation of the nay. See also ‘Egyptian music’ ‘instruments’.
kudja The kudja or sheika is the female leader of a zar ritual. An expert who makes use of rhythm, music, dance, gestures, sensory codes, dream interpretation, and so on,  in order to pacify or exorcice supranational beeings.  She is the mediator between the demons and the possesed person.
lawn colour. In music the term lawn describes the character or style of a music piece or segments in compositions. For example: lawn tarab, lawn baladi, lawn saidi, lawn ghabi.
muallim (m)/
muallima (f)		 The boss, the head person, the master, female or male. The muallima (f) is a woman who is a coffeehouse or store proprietor, financially independent and known to be tough and masculine in her ways.
mandil A square scarf made out of cotton. The Mandil is simply a square or rectangular scarf. It is made of cotton and worn on the head. Women and men have different styles to ware them.
malaff The turban or malaff is a headdress for men, a longer cotton ribbon that is tied around the head on top of the ‘taqiya’ .
mellaya A traditional garment for baladi women consisting of a sqare black overwrap that covers the whole body from head to toe. It is worn over the house dress to go outside.
maghna baladi The term maghna baladi was used to designate music associated with the rural populations until the 1940s. Between 1950s and 1970s the concepts baladi were gradually replaced by the concepts of aghani shaabiyya or musica shaabiyya.
muaddida The muaddida is a professional mourning women.
maddah artists mostly from Upper Egypt who praise the prophet and the saints in their songs and induce a trance through fast rhythm (eg Shayk Bahrain, Shayk al Tuni).
makam/
makamat (pl)		 The makam system is unique to Middle Eastern art music. The word makam literally means ‘place’, ‘location’. There are more then  70 heptatonic tone rows of makamat. Those can be realized with vocal or with instrumental music. A rhythmical component is not included in the makam system, a makam is rather a meodic type and defines the musical notes and the relationship between them.  In Middle Eastern art music the compositions as well as the improvisations are based on the makam system. Makam determines for example the starting note, the ending note, the dominant note and which note should be emphazized. Because it is impractical to precisely and accurately notate microtonal variations how they exist in Middle Eastern art music, maqam scales are mostly taught orally, and by extensive listening to the traditionalmusic repertoire. Maqamat are said to evoce emotions:  Makam Rast for example evokes pride and power, and masculinity. Maqam Bayati evokes vitality, joy, and femininity. Maqam Sikah evokes love and makam Saba, sadness and pain.
mawal/
mawaweel (pl)		 The mawal is a traditional genre of vocal music that is  presented before the actual song begins. It is characterized by the improvisation of the voice. Vocals are spelled longer than usual. In any mawwal  the music begins with a layali, in which the listener will hear the common phrase “Ya Ain Ya Lail” , which means “Oh eye, Oh night.”  A mawal is sung in colloquial Arabic.
mizmar Egyptian traditional wind instrument related to the oboe. The mizmar is a wooden oboe with a conical bore. Different mouth pieces can be exchanged and produce different tones with a penetrating sound. Traditionally this instrument accompanies songs, public processions and certain traditional dances such as the tahtib, Egypt’s combat dance performed by men, raqs el khail, the dance of the horse, and gawazee dances. There are many sizes and types of mizmar instruments. The smallest that is just 30 cm long is called a sibs. See also instruments.
mutrib singer
mulid/
mawalid (pl)		 Mawalid are folk festivals in honor of Saints. This community ritual has been continously practiced in Egypt since pharaonic times. There is evidence that the concept of a pilgrimage to the shrine and tomb of a revered figure dates all the way back to mass pilgrimages to the temples of Osiris in ancient Egypt. It is a practice hed onto and modified by Christians and Muslims. Egypt still celebrates hundreds of mawalid each year in different cities  and regions. Religious and secular music and dance are important part of the celebrations.
mulid el nabi Celebration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed.
musiqa sharqiyya Musiqa sharqyya goes back several centuries, has always been cultivated by social elites and has been maintained actively through theory and training until today.  Middle Eastern art music or Arab classical music, or serious music shows the characteristics and aestetic principles of a particular territory, the Middle East.
musiqa gharbiyya Western or European art music.
munshid sufi singer
muwashshah/
muwashshahat (pl)		 Muwashshah literally means ‘girdled’. The muwashshah is an arabic poetic form, as well as a secular musical genre in Middle Eastern art music which uses muwashshah texts as lyrics. Musically, the ensemble consists of oud, rababa, qanun, tabla and duff, all of which often perform as the choir.
nagrazan The nagrazan is a copper drum that hangs around the musician’s neck and is played with two wooden sticks held in both hands. It is used for the traditional tahtib music as well as Sufi music. See also instuments.
nay The nay with its many variations is a flute made of a reed with five or six finger holes on the front and one on the back. It occupies a major place in the Egyptian folk music tradition, the mystical Sufi orders as well as in art music. It is one of the oldest and simplest known instruments from the days of the ancient Egyptians. See also instuments.
nubi Nubiens
nimra Entertainment act also used as shorthand for enter- tainers.
oud The oud is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument, which is often seen as the predecessor of the western lute,  distinguished primarily by being without frets. The oud is commonly used in Middle Eastern music and is part of a  traditional takht ensemble. See also instruments.
qanun The qanun is a string instrument found in Middle Eastern art music which is associated with the zither. The strings are stretched over a single bridge poised on fish-skins on one end and attached to tuning pegs at the other end. The qanun is a descendant of the ancient Egyptian harp and Egypt can be considered one of the longest harp cultures in history. See also instruments.
rababa The rababa is the earliest known fiddle, a bowed instrument with two strings, and is associated with folk and art music.The rababa is played holding it on the lap, sitting on the floor cross-legged. It is played vertically, the sound box of a half coconut, thightly covered with goat or fish skin, the neck of ebony , the strings of horse hair. The rababa was used by classical takht ensembles before being replaced by the western violin. The playing of the rababa can reach sophisticated heights and in these moments the line between art and folk music becomes blurred. See also instruments.
rais

The term rais means ‘leader’. For example rais Mohamed Murad, the leader of the ‘awlad Murad’.
raqs dance
raasa (f) female dancer
raqs el khail

The dance of the horse, executed by a horse and a man standing on it.
req

The req is a percussion instrument, a circular wooden frame drum, with fish or goat skin and 5 jingling discs integrated in the frame.  It is played with the fingers of both hands and the instrument is carried in the hight of the sternum. This instrument is associated with Egyptian-Middle Eastern art music and is part of the traditional tahkt ensemble. See also instruments.

raqs el assaya A traditional rural dance performed by men with a stick. The dancer follows certain musical sections which are called the ‘ashra baladi’.
saltana The word saltana evoces connotations of a drugged sate. In music saltana could be described as the ecstasy of creation. The performer experiences concentrated and intense musical sensations and gets high from music. To alternate between different maqamat or the lyrics in a mawwal can induce saltana. The creative state of saltana can bing on tarab. Ahmed Adaweya and Sheikh Sayed Darwish were two fine example of achieving saltana.
sagate

Tiny round copper cymbals which are attached to dancers’ or musicians’ thumbs. They were used by the awalim and the ghawazee to accompany their singing and dancing. See also instruments.
saidi (m)/
saidiyya (f)/
saida (pl)
 Farming community in Upper Egypt.
saidi music Rural (shaabi) music from Upper Egypt.
shaabi (m)
shaabiyya (f)
 The adjective literally means ‘off the people’.  Shaabi refers to a great diversity of practices regarded as indigenous. It indicates a collective identity, a sort of authenticity or genuineness.
shaabi dances

The word shaabi in general means ‘of the people’.  Here the word contains traditional expressions and dances of the Egyptian people: the Egyptian gypsies (ghawazee), the peasants (fellahin) of the Delta, the Upper Egyptian (saidi) traditions, the Bedouins (bedu), the Nubians and other regional dances.  Egypts diverse shaabi dances all show their typical fiery and earthy qualities.
sheikh honorary title usually applied to religious scholars
Sheikh Sayed Darwish Sheikh Sayed Darwish (1892-1923) was a working class citizen, a bricklayer. He was known for his progressive, western and modern leanings. He was one of the pioneers of Egyptian music and is revered today as the father of classic and popular Egyptian music. He died from a heart attack or an overdose of drugs.
shemm en nassim Shemm en nassim, the Egyptian spring festival belongs to the folk customs dating back to pharaonic times.
shiir the poet song in epic folk tales
shouma The shouma is the app. 150 m long stick used for tahtib.
solo tabla a solo improvisation on tabla
subu The subu is an ancient folk tradition, a  celebration for a seven day old baby accompagnied by dance and music.
sufism Sufism in Egypt exists in a number of forms, most of which represent a ‘tarika’ (order) developed by an inspired founder, or shaykh. These shaykhs gather ‘murids’ (disciples) whom they initiate into the tariqa. The devotions of many Sufi orders centre on various forms of the ‘dhikr’ (remembrance): a ceremony in which music, body movements, and chants induce a state of ecstatic trance. The participants practice collective rhythmic repetition of selected names of God in combination with bowing and turning movements and a particular breathing technique. The aim is to purify the ‘nafs’ (lower self), and raise the ‘ruh’ (spirit) towards God. God is perceived in terms of emotional closeness ‘the friend’, ‘the lover’ whose love can be experienced personally and individually. In addition to the Sufi activities in Egypt that take place as part of the Sufi orders, a huge part of Sufi activity can be labelled informal Sufism. Informal Sufism is displayed most dramatically in the moulids (saints’ festivals), but also in private settings like weddings.
tabla The heavy vase-shaped drum made of earthenware and fish skin (raqma) is called tabla or darabuka. It was used traditionally by the awalim to accompany their wedding songs but as well by the ordinary beduin or fellahin women to accompany their wedding songs. The tabla is still present in most shaabi ensembles as well as popular and classical music. See also instruments. CD tip Daqat.
tabla baladi

The tabla baladi accompanies the professional mizmar ensembles at processions and dances. It is a double-skinned bass drum, beaten with a thick stick on one side and with a thin stick on the other side. The tabla baladi hangs at an angle from the player’s neck. See also instruments’. CD tip ‘Al Masdar’ ‘Music of the Fellahin’
takht The takht a small six-piece musical ensemble specialized in Middle Eastern art music. In Egypt the ensemble consists of oud, qanun, kamanga, ney, riq and tabla (Touma). The word takht means ‘podium’ in Arabic. Instrumental forms include: bashraf, samai, tahmilah, dulab. The ensemble may be joined by a male or female vocalist and a group of four to six singers who provide the refrain.  Vocal genres performed include dawr, muwashshah, layali, maluf, qasidah and mawwal.
tahtib Tahtib is the traditional martial art from Egypt dating back to ancient Egypt. It is a living art form strongly linked to dance and music. It combines both real combat aspects, and aesthetic aspect, and the concept of play. Tahtib is performed exclusively by men, several or two, carrying a stick. It has been handed down within the family for generations, from father to son, uncle to nephew, from the old masters to the young generation. Tahtib music features the tabla baladi an mizmar. See also articles.  See also instruments. CD tip Al Masdar.
tahmilah The tahmilah is an instrumental part in Middle Eastern art music often played by a takht ensemble which features the alteration between a solo instruments and the ensemble.
tanbura The tanbura is a pentatonic, five-stringed lyre, particularly known in Upper Egypt and often seen in Cairo in ancient times. It has a bowl or rectangular-shaped resonator and a wooden frame consisting of two laterals supporting a yoke. The right-hand fingers usually sweep across all the strings at once while the left hand fingers are used to stop the strings whose tones are not needed at that moment. This technique resembles that shown on monuments in ancient Egypt. See also instruments.
taqtuqa is a genre of light Arabic vocal music sung in regional or colloquial Arabic. It was associated with female vocalists around the turn of the 20th century, and became very popular during the first decades of the 20th century, as the gramophone and cinema grew in popularity. The famous Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum recorded taqtuqas early in her career; her first was “Illi Habbik Ya Hanah”, composed in 1925 by Zakariyya Ahmad.
tarab Tarab describes a state of being when artistic presentations in music, dance, poetry, religious chanting etc create an environment of enchantment or ecstasy. Tarab is a higher level of consciousness that both musician and listener share during a performance. It describes the extraordinary emotional state evoked by music, dance or poetry in a secular or religious context.
tarha The tarha is a traditional transparent headscarf for women. A long veil down to the shoulders or floor made out of linen, cotton or silk.
taqasim horr

Musical section within the rural ‘ashra baladi’ or the urban ‘ashra baladi’. The lead instrument, in urban repertoire the accordion or saxophone, in the rural repertoire the rababah, begins a solo improvisation. This taqasim is said to connect the audience with deeper feelings and emotions.
taqiya a headdress for men, a simple cap crocheted in cotton
thob Traditional beduin garment.
tet Musical section within the rural and the urban ashra baladi. The musicians and the dancer differ between the slow tet (tet batiq) and the fast tet (tet sarii).  Particularly in the fast tet the musicians and the dancer show their skill and expertise.
umm mother
usta (f)/
ustawat (pl)		 The usta is the female head of a group of performers.
wahdah el kibirah Musical section within the traditional ‘ashra baladi’. This is where the fitiwah begins to dance in slow, stepping movements to the rhythm of  ‘el wahdah el kibirah’.  There are many songs that are laced with this rhythm such as: ‘Amint B’illah’, Hassan ya khol elgininah, ‘Talatah w’bas’ and others.
zar The zar is a healing practice found in Egypt which has the goal to pacify or drive out demons. This occurs in the the course of extensive ceremonies accompagnied by music, singing,  drumming and dancing. The ceremonies  may last several days and resemble healing rituals in sub-Saharan Africa. In Egypt the zar is an activity in which principally women participate. It can be classed as a possession cult, a phenomenon found all over the world.
zaffa A ceremonial procession as at a wedding, accompagnied by drumming, dancing and the high shrill tones produced by the women with the tonge.
zagrutta The high shrill ululations of the zagrutta are produced by the women with their tongues. They accompagny for wedding processions and are expressions of joy.
Zakariyya Ahmad Zakariyya Ahmad (1896 – 1961) was a Egyptian musician and composer who composed many pieces in a traditional folk Egyptian style. His works included solo pieces and film scores, and he composed for Umm Kulthum.