Fann aṭ-Ṭanbūra is a traditional music and dance genre in the Persian Gulf Arab states

Arab states of the Persian Gulf

"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....

, especially Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

, Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

 and Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

. Musically, the tanbura

Tanbura

For other uses, see Tanbur .The tanbūra is a bowl lyre of the Middle East and East Africa. It takes its name from the Persian Tanbur via the Arabic tunbur , though this term refers to long-necked lutes. The instrument plays an important role in Zār rituals...

instrument plays a central role, along with several drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s and the manjur

Manjur (instrument)

The manjur is a musical instrument used in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf but with East African origins. It is made of goat hooves attached to a cloth. It is performed by tying the instrument around the waist...

-- an instrument made of several goat hooves 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

Zar

- Places :* Zar, Armenia, a town in the Kotayk Province* Zar, Azerbaijan, a village in the Kalbajar Rayon currently controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic* Žár , a village in the Czech Republic* Żar, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland...

 spiritual ritual, and it was originally used in healing practices. Participants would occasionally fall into a trance

Trance

Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...

. In modern times though it is more often a musical performance.

See also

• Liwa (music)
  Liwa (music)
  Līwa is a traditional dance performed in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, mainly in communities of descendants of East Africans from the Swahili Coast...
  
  
• Ardha
  Ardha
  Ardah is a type of folkloric dance performed by the Bedouin tribes of Najd. It was traditionally performed before going to war. Originally "ardah" is for Shammr tribe, but nowadays is performed at celebrations or cultural events, such as the Jenadriyah festival. The dance, which is performed by...
  
  
• Fijiri
  Fijiri
  Fidjeri is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf . A lead singer is backed up by a chorus of accompanying singers and clapping...
  
  
• Sawt (music)
• Yowla
  Yowla
  Yowla is a type of type of traditional dance found in the United Arab Emirates. It involves spinning and throwing a rifle.-See also:* Ardha* Fijiri* Sawt * M'alayah* Liwa * Mizmar -External links:* *...
  
  
• M'alayah
  M'alayah
  The M'alayah is a kind of dance common in the Middle Eastern and the North African countries...
  
  
• Culture of the Arab States of Persian Gulf
  Culture of the Arab States of Persian Gulf
  There are many aspects of culture in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. While being Arab at its core, it has been influenced by the cultures of India, Persia, and East Africa, because of extensive trade links.-Music and dance:* Ardha* Sawt * Fijiri...
  
  
• Afro-Arab
  Afro-Arab
  Afro-Arab refers to people of mixed Black African and genealogical Arab ancestral heritage and/or linguistically and culturally Arabized Black Africans...
  
  
• Krar
  Krar
  The krar or kraar is a five- or six-stringed bowl-shaped lyre from Eritrea and Ethiopia. The instrument is tuned to a pentatonic scale. A modern krar may be amplified, much in the same way as an electric guitar or violin....
  
  
• Simsimiyya
  Simsimiyya
  The simsimiyya is a traditional plucked lyre used in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen.It is mostly used by Bedouins as a social instrument. In Egypt it is traditionally used to accompany a dance called bambutiyya, as well as among the musicians called suhbagiyya, in the cities of Port Said and...
  
  

External links

• Video of Tanbura performance in Kuwait
• Oman Centre for Traditional Music
• Africans in the Arabian Gulf
• 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