Wedding Music: An Ethnography of Male Songs and Dances at Traditional Weddings in the United Arab Emirates

 

ATMuse> Music in Arabia

 

from Chapter 12 by Khalid Albudoor, translated by Issa Boulos, pg. 196-213
In Music in Arabia,

Edited by Isso Boulos, Virginia Danielson and Anne K. Rasmussen

 

Two men in white robes and head coverings stand with other men in a line and look down while leaning on staffs.
A closeup of Emirati men forming a line and performing `ayyāla. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Several men dressed in white robes and head coverings dance in a line while holding canes.
Al-Āhallah. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Two rows of kneeling men face each other on a stage bathed in purple light.
Al-Mālid, performed on stage during an annual celebration of the Prophet's Birthday. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Five young boys in white robes and red checked head coverings hold toy guns and gather around a young man kneeling in sand.
Al-Yūla is very popular with young boys who compete in throwing their toy guns in the air. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Young men hold toy guns in the air and dance in a sand-filled room lined with standing men.
Al-Yūla. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Several men stand looking at another man who holds a rifle in the air.
Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan, Founder and First President of the United Arab Emirates, performs razfa. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

Several men stand outside in a group playing drums while many other men watch and flags fly behind them.
The main drummer playing al-rās drum while surrounded by men who dance in a circle around the band. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

 

A row of kneeling men in a room plays hand drums and faces another row of kneeling men.
A line of drummers playing ṭayrān or dufūf during a mālid performance. Courtesy of Al-Bayan newspaper, Dubai Media Agency.

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