Concert “Music from Antiquity”
Naseer Shamma plays lovely tunes in Al-Ula
AlUla Moments has announced a special closing ceremony for the event season in its picturesque desert. Where the “Music in Antiquity” show will be held on “March 24” next year, in Jabal Ikma, the open library that contains the most diverse and diverse rock inscriptions and drawings of Al-Ula.
In line with the title of the concert, “Music in Ancient Times”, the concert will be played with musical instruments used in ancient times, led by the famous Iraqi oud artist, Naseer Shamma, with his orchestra. The audience also looks forward to a unique artistic evening highlighting historical music translated through melodies of new instrumentals written by the artist, inspired by ancient times.
Music in antiquity also highlights Al-Ula as a crossroads of ancient trade routes that stretched from Mediterranean ports through the Levant, Egypt into northeastern Africa and through Arabia to India and beyond. At that time, Al-Ula received thousands of travelers from the ancient kingdoms that surrounded it, where the travelers rested in the shade of its oases; They exchange different goods and products, and during this, customs, rituals and cultures pass between them, and they enjoy music, arts and exchanging festivals. Which transformed the city of Al-Ula into an open-air museum through the diversity of cultures, languages and arts during the ancient times.
Evidence discovered through inscriptions on rock surfaces at and near Jabal Ikma has been reported to confirm that music was a part of life in Al-Ula over thousands of years of successive civilizations, such as petroglyphs in the form of a harp dates back 2,500 years. Archaeologists and rock art specialists confirm that these inscriptions prove they were an important part of the life, customs and rituals of the people of the region at the time.
Interestingly, Naseer Shamma is regarded as one of the foremost oud players and composers in the world. Naseer Shamma has been dubbed “UNESCO’s Peace Artist”. He has performed hundreds of concerts in different countries of the world and has won more than 60 music and humanitarian awards.
Naseer Shamma also gave a new spirit to the oud as the most important musical instrument by making the “Al-Farabi Oud” which contains an eighth string for playing as it was inspired by a 9th century manuscript by the famous Arab Musicologist Al -Farabi, and also invented a new way of playing the oud with one hand. The artist, Naseer, founded “Bayt Al Oud” in many Arab capitals including Cairo and Abu Dhabi in order to develop talents in the region and Gulf Cooperation Council countries to introduce a new generation of musicians.
