Songs of the Arabian Red Sea: A Cultural History

The Arabian Red Sea was, in the days of sail, a hub for trade and pilgrimage. Dhows sailed to the sea towns from the Sinai Peninsula or across from the Egyptian coast on their way to Jeddah or Mecca and Medina. Mariners sang work songs or songs for entertainment on board the dhow or in a number of sea towns. Work songs were sung rhythmically when hoisting the yard and the sail, rowing, or pulling and pushing the boat on shore, while songs for entertainment were more varied, often reflecting themes of sadness, such as lamenting loss or unrequited love; more joyous events such as the return from a long voyage would be celebrated with drums and dancing and accompanied by the ululations of the women on the shore. The song was, therefore, an integral part of the maritime landscape, a landscape which included Egyptian pilgrims coming from Sofaga, Quseir, Mersa Alam and Suez, who sang their own songs, and were often joined by the crew and other passengers on board the dhow, accompanied by the simsimiyya, a stringed instrument, and drums.
Although the tradition of singing these songs still exists in sea towns, the last practitioners are now elderly and it is possible that the original songs will die out with them; the old wording is slowly being forgotten as new adapted and/or non-maritime versions are appearing.
This interdisciplinary book documents the typology of sea songs of the Arabian Red Sea shores, their origin and provenance, their different keys and styles and where, when and how the songs are sung, thus presenting a unique cultural history of these sea songs for the first time.