El Tanbura

El Tanbura

El Tanbura is an Egyptian collective from Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal. It brings together veteran master musicians, singers, fishermen and Sufi philosophers, and works to preserve some of Egypt’s older folk traditions. The group is centred on the simsimiyya, an ancient lyre associated with the region and with traditions that develop around Port Said.

Origins and formation

The modern history of the simsimiyya in Port Said begins in the 1930s, when café owners employ players to entertain customers in smoking dens. The instrument absorbs influences from local folk styles and Sufi beliefs, and the resulting repertoire becomes known as simsimiyya music. The tradition later declines in the late 1970s, as economic difficulty and commercialisation reduce interest and many older performers stop playing.

El Tanbura’s founder, Zakaria Ibrahim, first hears the simsimiyya in Port Said as a boy in the 1950s. He begins in 1980 to search for older masters and persuade them to perform again. In 1989, a small group of veteran performers forms El Tanbura. The ensemble initially draws mockery, but the performances attract more people and the group grows beyond musicians to include percussionists, dancers and singers drawn from local fishermen, market traders and builders, alongside older instrumentalists.

Music and performance style

El Tanbura’s performances feature simsimiyya melodies, Sufi-inspired vocal chants, intense drumming and dancing. The group is known for involving audiences directly, and its members wear varied clothing that mixes traditional and contemporary items such as jellabas, jeans, fez hats and baseball caps.

Activity and wider recognition

By the time of its international profile, El Tanbura has spent many years acting as a custodian of these local traditions through performances in Egypt and abroad. The group has a WOMEX showcase and an international CD release planned, alongside touring activity beyond Egypt.