DARBUKA Darbuka or tablah (arab. دربوكة) is type of a single head membranophone, characteristic for goblet shaped body. It’s well known in belly dancing from drum solo music. Traditional darbuka has a ceramic body with a membrane made of fish or goatskin. Today we can also find instruments made of aluminum with plastic membranes. Here […]
ARGHUL ARGHUL or ARGUL, ARGHOUL (Arab. أرغول) is a traditional arabic instrument, known in ancient Egypt. Arghul can be divided into three types: small, medium and large. It has two pipes, one with holes (5 to 7) and the other pipe without them. Outside of Egypt you can hear arghul in Palestine and in Turkey, […]
BALADI Baladi is an egyptian, improvised solo dance. Name Baladi means my country. This dance has few styles like solo accordion, progression, cabaret. The most important elements are the hip drops, lack of isolations and heavy, grounded feeling. The costume used for baladi is a long galabeya/baladi dress with narrow sleeves and sometimes a hip […]
MAZHAR Mazhar (arab. مظهر) is a type of large tambourine used in Arabic music. The frame of the mazhar is made of wood, it can be decorated and it usually is 30 cm wide. Mazhar has ten pairs of big cymbals (nine cm), mounted in five pairs of slits. We can hear mazhar in Egyptian, […]
KAWALA Kawala (arab. كاوالا) also called salamiya, is an end-blown flute made of cane. It comes from Egypt and is known in the music of the Middle East. Kawala has six holes and you can find it in nine different sizes – according to the maqam (the system of traditional Arabic melodic modes). Here you […]
HAGGALA Haggala is a happy dance style of Bedouins living in the Saharan oases. This dance focuses mainly on the work of the hips (tipical ¾ shimmy and twists). Haggala is a presentation of feminine pride and strength. In choreographies made by Mahmoud Reda are dancing female and male dancers – for male dancers characteristic are jumps and clapping […]
QANUN Qanun (Arab. قانون) is an Arabic stringed instrument. The Arabic word qanun means ‘law’. This instrument is a descendant of the Egyptian harp – a trapezoid-shaped instrument with 81 strings which is played with a plectrum. Qanun is produced from wood. A musician, when playing, keeps qanun on his knees or on the table. […]