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Al-Atlal (
Al-Atlal (Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: الأطلال, "The Ruins") is a poem written by the Egyptian poet Ibrahim Nagi
Ibrahim Nagi () (December 31, 1898 – March 27, 1953) was an Egyptian polymath; a poet, author, translator, and practicing medical doctor. He was among the contributors of '' Al Siyasa'', newspaper of the Liberal Constitutional Party.
Early l ...
, which later became a famous song sung by Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum
Umm Kulthum (; 31 December 1898 – 3 February 1975) was an Egyptians, Egyptian singer and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title (). Immensely popular throughout the Middle East and beyond, Umm Kul ...
in 1966. The songs text was adapted by Umm Kulthum and its melody composed by the Egyptian composer Riad Al Sunbati
Riad Mohamed El Sunbati (), also written as Riad Sonbati or Riadh Sonbati (30 November 1906 – 10 September 1981) was a 20th-century Egyptians, Egyptian composer and musician who was considered an icon of Egyptian Music. He composed 539 works ...
two years after her first song composed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab
Mohamed Abdel Wahab (), also transliterated ''Mehammad Abdelwehab'', (March 13, 1902 – May 4, 1991), was a prominent 20th-century Egyptian singer, actor, and composer. He is best known for his Romantic and Egyptian patriotic songs.
He wa ...
, “Inta Omri
"Inta Omri" (; also transliterated as , , or ) is a popular Egyptian song by Umm Kulthum. It was released in March 1965 by ''Sono Cairo Records''.
Composition and legacy
The song (literally "You Are My Life") was composed by prominent Egypti ...
” (إنت عمري, "You are My Life"). Both of them were a huge success.
The poem
The song mixes between two poems from the same poet Ibrahim Nagi, meaning that the lyrics of the song are not exactly the words of the poem. The second poem is named "Al-Wadaa" (الوداع). Beside that, the song was recorded 13 years after the poet's death. It has been first published in 1944 within a compilation known as the ''Layali al-Qahira'' (Cairo Nights) and is inspired by theqasida
The qaṣīda (also spelled ''qaṣīdah''; plural ''qaṣā’id'') is an ancient Arabic word and form of poetry, often translated as ode. The qasida originated in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and passed into non-Arabic cultures after the Arab Mus ...
, a pre-Islamic Arabic form of poetry.
The melody
The melody was composed by Riad al-Sunbati in the 1960s. Sunbati is one of the most prominent composers in modern Arab music in general and regarding to Umm Kulthum in specific.Reception
The songs became popular in the late 1960s when Umm Kulthum began to sing it, and since theSix Day War
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June 1967.
Military hostilities broke ...
between Israel and several Arab countries, several prominent critics considered the song as the Arab Song par excellence.
See also
*List of best-selling singles by country
The following is a list of best-selling singles by country. Depends on the measurement, record sales of songs are taken by estimations or certifications.
Sheet music dominated the early stage of music publishing industry with many individual ti ...
References
Poems in Arabic Egyptian songs Umm Kulthum songs {{poem-stub