Music of Yemen

Yemen is a country on the Arabian Peninsula, and the music of Yemen is primarily known abroad for a series of pan-Arab popular stars and the Yemenite Jews who became musical stars in Israel during the 20th century. In the Arab world, Yemen has long been a cultural capital.

Yemen's national anthem is "United Republic" written by Abdallah "al-Fadhool" Abdulwahhab Nouman.

UNESCO proclaimed the tradition of poetic songs of Sana'a, called al-Ghina al-San'ani, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.

Folk music

 Dance in Sa'dah

Traditional Yemenite music is usually performed in the home, in a window-lined room at the top of the house called a Mafraj during a qat chew, in which the performers intake a mild narcotic. This form of performance uses sung poetry and is called Homayni; it is a tradition that dates to the 14th century. Two of the most famous Yemenite musicians, Ahmed Fathey and Osama al Attar, are now resident in the United Arab Emirates. The urban Homayni style known in the capital of Yemen, Sanaan singing, is the most well-known kind of Homayni today [1]. There is a large Yemeni-Welsh community in Cardiff and other major Welsh cities. Yemeni folk music has thus become a major part of the Welsh music scene.

Yemeni musicians

•             Muhammad Murshid Naji
•             Ayoob Tarish Absi
•             Abubakr Salim Balfaqih
•             Ali al-Aanisi
•             Ahmad as-Sunaydar
•             Muhammad Hamood al-Harithi
•             Ali as-Simah
•             Faisal Alawi
•             Ahmad Qasim
•             Ahmed Fathi
•             What in your name