Mazaher is a group of musicians and singers from Cairo who have kept Egyptian zār traditions alive since the late 1990s. Zār is ritual music built on song, dance and polyrhythmic drumming, intended to create harmony among participants and loosen the social bonds that hold people down.
Women lead the ritual. Among the performers are Um Sameh, Um Hassan and Nour El Sabah, some of the last people in Egypt still practicing zār.
Their music draws on three different Egyptian zār styles, centred on the sacred six-stringed tamboura and the mangour percussion instrument. The group has performed across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and has played at ALICE before.
Lineup
Mazaher
A group of musicians and singers based in Cairo who have kept Egyptian zār ritual traditions alive since the late 1990s. They have performed across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Um Sameh
Um Sameh is a musician and singer with the Cairo-based group Mazaher. She is one of the last people in Egypt still practicing the zār ritual tradition.
Um Hassan
Um Hassan is a musician and singer with the Cairo-based group Mazaher. She is one of the last people in Egypt still practicing the zār ritual tradition.
Nour El Sabah
Nour El Sabah is a musician and singer with the Cairo-based group Mazaher. She is one of the last people in Egypt still practicing the zār ritual tradition.
Location