A diverse and evolving heritage spanning centuries, culture and geography

Rooted in the poetic tradition of the pre-Islamic age, classical Arabic music developed and flourished from the early Islamic period and 11th-century Moorish Spain to the 20th-century secular incarnation that entered a golden age in Cairo. The Egyptian capital became the musical hub of the Arab world, attracting musicians and singers from across North Africa and the Middle East. Legendary female singers Umm Kulthum (who rose to prominence in the mid-‘20s) and Fairuz (who became famous a generation later) embody the heyday of pan-Arabism for generations of Arabic people. Their virtuosic, melismatic singing and charismatic performances enraptured audiences. Artists like Farid Al Atrash, whose oud (lute) improvisations were phenomenal and lightning-quick, performed concerts that became national events. Other notable stars, like Sayed Darwish, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Warda Al Jazairia and more recently Mohamed Mounir, George Wassouf and Hakim, were heard across Africa and Asia.

Introduced in the '50s and '60s by Abdel Halim Hafez, Arabic pop became a fully fledged genre in its own right during the '70s. It moved beyond the lengthy melodic and orchestrated compositions of old, to a more syncopated and rhythmic cross-cultural blend of Western genres and Arabic instruments and lyrics. Amr Diab’s global 1996 crossover hit "Habibi Ya Nour El Ain" took Arabic pop to a whole new level, merging Spanish guitar, French accordion and Arabic duff. This wildly successful fusion experiment was attempted by a wide range of artists, who produced mixes of Franco-Arabic (Dalida, Sam Clarke), R&B, reggae and hip-hop. But the variations are endless—from Arabic jazz visionaries like Ziad Rahbani and Rima Khcheich to Arabic rock icons like Massar Egbari, Sahara and Mashrou' Leila. After years of somewhat painful experimentation, Arabic electronic music has graduated from the generic chillout mixes and catchy techno-infused bellydance music of the past—as demonstrated by exciting young artists emerging from Egypt's electro-shaabi underground.