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The dominant culture in Qatar is traced to the Bedouin tribes that first settled here. It is still alive in the poetry, music and even the traditional dance, especially the well known Ardha.
This folk dance is still practised in Qatar, mainly during national events or at weddings. It is only performed by men, who find it a good opportunity to perform certain moves that show their strength, while chanting native poetry verses (Nabatean poetry famous in the Gulf Region).
The dance is performed by two rows of men standing opposite each other, who may or may not be wielding a sword, and is accompanied by drums and poetry recitals.
The dance begins with a single line of poetry that is repeated as the drums beat in the background and swords are wielded. During the dance, performers swing their fully decorated swords up and down while reciting poetry after the leader of the dance and moving few steps forward and backwards.
Performers usually wear a special uniform worn by warriors and the Mahzam a leather strap around the waist and shoulders to hold swords and daggers - and one of them moves in front of the dancers with his sword rising and falling along with the dancers.
The leader nowadays is a chosen skillful poet, but in the old days, he would be a military leader.
The Ardha used to be performed before warriors would meet their enemies in battle. It demonstrates that they have no fear of fighting and it is used to raise the spirit of soldiers and leaders.
Percussive instruments are the basis of most Qatari music, including a wide range of drums, tambourines, and cymbals. Stringed instruments such as the Oud and Rababa are also played in Qatar.
Definition
The term ardah is derived from the Arabic verb Ard meaning 'to show' or 'to parade'. It was so named because its purpose was to publicly display the physical strength of a tribe and to boost the morale of the soldiers before an armed engagement. Although there are regional variations of the Ardha, the purpose it serves is nearly identical throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Usually, there are organised dance bands for Ardha which are fully equipped with traditional swords, daggers and costumes. Nevertheless, each individual in the Qatari community has his own sword which he is either gifted by his grandfather or kept at home to be used on such occasions.
Being a coastal state opened Qatar to overseas cultures, which contributed to diversifying the traditional heritage. There are other kinds of traditional dance in the Qatari culture such as Matari, Tanboura and Samri.
Some of the other dances are imported from neighbouring countries like the UAE.
Ardha is one of the dances performed as a group. On the other hand, there are different kinds of solo performances. Solo dances are more of a masculinity performance that the dancer usually improvises certain moves with his weapon either a sword or a musket around the yard. Solo dances such as Zarif where the dancer sways around with his weapon and stamps hard on the ground raising his head upwards.
Another dance where the dancer performs alone before a group of men usually rivals of another tribe in the old days is Zaffan where the dancer also sings some poetry of his own while performing the dance.
Traditional lyrics
Poetry is a critical aspect of Qatari culture and in olden days it played a big role in different activities such as sailing or during battles. Singing was either during a group activity that workers and sailors carried out together to motivate themselves while dragging boats inland or unloading shipments.
Group singing was also done during performances and traditional dances, especially the Ardha. The performers are split into two groups, where the first group would recite a part from the poetry and the second group would repeat it. The Qataris have a special rhythm of clapping while accompanying the recitation in between verses of the song during the performance of Ardha.
During pearling voyages, most boats had a Nahham onboard, and his job was to sing motivational verses for the sailors who clapped with him.
This unique ambiance is carried out even today, and is carefully preserved in the mind of every Qatari.
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07/05/2017
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