Fann aṭ-Ṭanbūra (Arabic: فن الطنبورة) is a traditional music and dance genre in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Musically, the tanbūra instrument plays a central role, along with several drums and the manjur— an instrument made from a large number of goat hooves attached to a type of apron which is wrapped around the waist of the performer.
Men and women both participate in the singing and dance. Fann at-tanbura is closely associated with the Zār spiritual ritual, and it was originally used in healing practices. Participants would occasionally fall into a trance. In modern times though it is more often a musical performance.
See also
editExternal links
edit- Video of a Tanbura group from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Oman Centre for Traditional Music
- Poul Rovsing Olsen, "La Musique Africaine dans le Golfe Persique", Journal of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 19, (1967), pp. 28–36
- Liwa and Tanbura from Africa to Bahrain, Part 2, Al Waqt newspaper, 21 Feb 2009