Zar Music & Songs at Al Madina Theatre

Mazaher is one of the rare ensembles in which women play a leading role and are connected to a most ancient tradition practised in several countries in the region. The musicians of Mazaher: Umm Sameh, Umm Hassan, Nour El Sabah are among the last remaining Zar practitioners in Egypt.
The music presented by Mazaher is inspired by three different styles of the Zar music practiced in Egypt: the Egyptian or Upper Egyptian Zar, Abu el Gheit Zar and the Sudanese or African Zar.

Zar is a community healing ritual of drumming and dancing whose tradition is carried mainly by women (men have the second roles) and whose main participants are women.
This ritual has been widely misconceived as a form of exorcism. However, the goal is to harmonize the inner lives of the participants. The Zar is a space in which women can work out the tensions and frustrations of social constraints which limit their movements, their dress, their voices and even their dreams. It is an ancient purification rite and it aims at pacifying numerous spirits. Communication with unseen spirits is driven by the insistent and varied drum rhythmic interaction which can lead to an altered state of consciousness and even, trance. The experience can be cathartic, a physical and spiritual purification that leaves one calm and ready to face the world again.

For more information or to make a reservation
76.309.363 (Mondays to Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sundays: 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)