El Tanbura

Event information

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.

In 1989 a small nucleus of veteran performers came together to form the El Tanbura group. They were laughed at initially, but the infectious atmosphere of the performances soon convinced others to join, and the band grew to include not only folk musicians and percussionists but dancers and singers drawn from local fishermen, market traders and builders, alongside older master instrumentalists.

Performances today feature seductive simsimiyya melodies, Sufi inspired vocal chants, increasingly intense drumming and bouts of frenzied dancing. Band members dress in an eclectic mix of jellabas, jeans, fez and baseball caps, and enjoy involving their audiences as their rhythms and chants gain in heat and passion.

With a musical legacy spanning nearly two decades, and concerts at home and abroad consistently winning them new fans, wider success has been elusive for El Tanbura until now. But with a WOMEX showcase, a brand new international CD release and inclusion in the forthcoming 1 Giant Leap film, this is surely about to change!

“Quite magical… it is easy to imagine why Simsimiyya players were employed on ships to charm the winds” - Songlines