Arabic Culture

Kazim Al-Sahir كَاظِم السَّاهِر Born in Mosul, Iraq, in 1957, Kazim(*) Al-Sahir كَاظِم السَّاهِر is one of the most noted singers in the Arab World الوَطْنِ العَرَبِي. He is also a composer and a song writer. Living in reduced circumstances, his family had to move to Baghdad. His knack for music emerged when he was seven years old. This talent was a precursor to studying and …

Sherine Abdel-Wahab شِرِين عِبْدَ الوَهَاب In this post, some differences between Egyptian dialect and MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) are highlighted through a song by a popular Egyptian singer, Sherine Abdel-Wahab. The song is called حُبُه جَنَّة ‘his love is heaven’, and it is taken from a recent album of hers entitled نَسَّاي ‘the one who forgets me.’ This album includes twel…

Yemeni music is mostly oud-based. This post gives a taste of Yemeni and Arabic oud music. العُوْد ‘the oud’ is a musical instrument used in the Middle East and North Africa. Its name was derived from the Arabic word عُوْد ‘a piece of wood’ as it is made of wood. Although it is an ancient instrument, it is still very popular in many countries. In Yemen, a piece of music wi…