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Khaliji or Khaleeji music (Arabic: الموسيقى الخليجية, romanized: al-mūsīqā al-khalījiyya, meaning "Gulf music") is the music of Eastern Arabia and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, and it is a popular genre across the Arab world. It is traditionally characterized by heavy use of the rebab, oud and other string instruments such as the violin, the occasional use of habbān, and the inclusion of percussion instruments such as the mirwas, tabl, and duff drums. Khaliji music first started as a bedouin tradition with poetry sung by a tribe's shāʿir ("poet"), usually accompanied by a rebab, the lyrics dealt with tales of honor, love, camel riders, and glory warriors.

Khaliji music has roots going back more than 1,000 years, to the Islamic period, under the Umayyads and Abbasids in Baghdad, Iraq. In the modern era, Kuwaitis were the first commercial recording artists and composers in the Persian Gulf region; Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia pioneered the Khaliji genre into its modern form in the second half of the 20th century and soon became the focal point of the industry, but in recent years UAE has increased its impact on the Khaliji genre. The Khaliji scene mainly consists of by Iraqi, Emirati, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, and Saudi artists today. Along with its main Arabian style, Khaliji music can also sometimes incorporate few elements of East African along with the Arabian genre such as Liwa, Moradah, and Sawt reflecting the region's ethnic history.

The period betwen 1980s and mid 2000, saw a lot of local Khaleeji/Bandari bands singing in mixed Khaleeji and Bandari style in both Persian and Arabic (southern/gulf dialects), most notable among these being the Bahraini Sultanies band and the Kuwaiti Miami band, among others.

In recent years, a new Independent scene has started to emerge in Arab states of the Persian Gulf that aims to challenge the sociocultural norms of modern Khaleeji society through a sound that's distinct from traditional Khaliji music, the scene has been coined as "Alternative Khaliji" by Kuwaiti-American musician +Aziz.

List of notable Khaliji singers

Eastern Arabia

Bahrain

• Hala Al-Turk
• Hanan Redha
• Hind Al-Bahrinya
• Ali Bahar † (Al-Ekhwa Band)
• Ahmed Sultan (Sultanies Band) - Bandari + Khaleeji

Kuwait

• +Aziz
• Bashar al-Shatti
• Nawal El Kuwaitia
• Shams

Oman

• Salim Rashid Suri

Qatar

• Fahad Al Kubaisi

Saudi Arabia

• Abdul Majeed Abdullah

United Arab Emirates

• Ahlam Al-Shamsi
• Hussain Al Jassmi
• Mehad Hamad
• Shamma Hamdan
• Eida Al Menhali
• Ahllam (Persian + Arabic Khaleeji)

From other Arabic-speaking countries

Egypt

• Amr Diab
• Angham
• Tamer Hosny

Lebanon

• Diana Haddad
• Nawal El Zoghbi

Libya

• Ayman Alatar

Morocco

• Jannat
• Saad Lamjarred

Syria

• George Wassouf

Tunisia

• Saber Rebai
• Thekra

Yemen

• Abu Bakr Salem Belfkih

Notable Khaleeji bands

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2025)

See also

• Bandari music
• Arabic music
• Arabic pop music
• Islamic music

References

1. "Afropop Worldwide | Feature: Africans in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf".
2. ^ Mustafa Said. "The History of Recording in the Gulf Area". sharjaharat. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
3. ^ Laith Ulaby. Performing the Past: Sea Music in the Arab Gulf States. p. 99. ISBN 9781109122480. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
4. ^ Mustafa Said. "The History of Recording in the Gulf Area (2)". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
5. ^ Saeed, Saeed (2012-07-24). "Music of the Arab World: The history and development of Khaleeji music". The National. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
6. Dubai, Art. "Has Khaleeji Pop Music Evolved?: An Interactive Lecture by Bahraini Art Platform Too Far". Art Dubai. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
7. Eyre, Banning. "Feature: Africans in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf (interview with Joseph Braude)". Afropop Worldwide. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
8. Sekka (2021-04-30). "The African influence on Khaleeji music". Sekka. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
9. ^ "MIAMI Band". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
10. ^ MIAMI Band (2016-07-16). Miami Band - Hala Yarom | 2008 | فرقة ميامي - هلا يارم. Retrieved 2025-01-04 – via YouTube.
11. ^ "The Gulf's New Sound: Indie Music and Global Change". Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
12. Mohammed Albahraini | محمد البحريني (2019-11-08). فرقة غناتي الإماراتية - بستكي |2019. Retrieved 2024-11-17 – via YouTube.
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18. admin (2021-06-03). "فرقه ماید اماراتی بیا بریم به مزار". BastakMusic | بستک موزیک. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
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• Arab culture
• Music of Bahrain
• Music of Kuwait
• Music of the United Arab Emirates
• Music of Qatar
• Music of Oman
• Music of Iraq
• Music of Saudi Arabia
• Persian Gulf music