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Artist
El Tanbura
12+ albums
egyptianegyptarabicsufiEgyptian Folk
about
El Tanbura are a collective of veteran master musicians, singers, fishermen and Sufi philosophers. For the past 17 years they have been custodians to some of Egypt’s oldest folk traditions at their home in Port Said, at the gate to the Suez Canal. Their music is driven by the seductive call of the Simsimiyya - an ancient lyre dating back to the times of the Pharaohs. The origins of the Simsimiyyia are lost in the mist of time and legend. It’s modern history comes to life in the 1930s, when Café owners in Port Said often employed a player to entertain their customers in the old-time smoking dens. Adopting influences from other styles of local folk music and local Sufi beliefs, the instrument quickly gained in popularity, eventually drawing large audiences and a new repertoire known simply as Simsimiyya was created. This popular success was followed by a downturn after the war: economic difficulties and widespread commercialisation led to a decline of the tradition in the late 1970s, and many of the old masters simply withdrew from performing, disillusioned and tired. El Tanbura’s founder, Zakaria Ibrahim first heard the Simsimiyyia in Port Said as a young boy in the 1950s. The sound of the instrument stayed in his memory ever since, and in 1980, he decided to dedicate himself to seeking out the old masters and convince them to perform once again. In 1989 a small nucleus of veteran performers came together to form the El Tanbura group. They were laughed at initially, but the
top songs
albums
Between The Desert And The Sea
friends of bamboute
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Rough Guide To Arabic Revolution
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Oriental Garden 5 - The World Oriental Grooves
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The Rough Guide To North Africa Café
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Top Of The World 60
The Rough Guide to Arabic Revolution
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The Rough Guide to North African Café
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Friends of Bamboute: 20th Anniversary Edition
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Africa Roots
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2007 - The Rough Guide to North Africa Cafe
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Songlines Top Of The World #40