Khaliji (music)

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Khaliji music, or Khaleeji music, is the traditional music of Eastern Arabia and the Gulf Arab states. It remains popular across the Arab world. Its sound mainly uses string instruments like the rebab and oud, sometimes violin, with percussion such as mirwas, tabl, and duff; the habban drum is also used on occasion.

The style began as Bedouin poetry sung by a tribe’s poet (shāʿir), usually with a rebab. The lyrics told tales of honor, love, camel riders, and warriors. Khaliji roots go back more than 1,000 years to the Islamic period in places like Damascus and Baghdad.

In the modern era, Kuwaitis were the first commercial recording artists in the Gulf. Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia helped shape Khaliji in the second half of the 20th century, and the United Arab Emirates has grown influential more recently. Today, artists from Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia lead the Khaliji scene. The genre sometimes blends East African elements and other Gulf styles such as Liwa, Moradah, and Sawt, reflecting a diverse history.

From the 1980s to the mid-2000s, many bands mixed Khaleeji with Bandari, singing in Persian and Arabic. Notable groups include the Bahraini Sultanies and the Kuwaiti Miami. A Persian-Arabic mixed Khaleeji style has been revived by younger artists like Ahllam. Recently, a new Independent scene has emerged aiming to push beyond traditional Khaliji, called “Alternative Khaliji” by Kuwaiti-American musician Aziz.