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Umm Kulthum!

Umm Kulthum (also spelled Oum Kalthoum) was an Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She is considered a national icon in her native Egypt and has been called “The voice of Egypt” and “Egypt’s 4th pyramid.”

In this video clip from the Spanish docu-series Rito y Geografía del Cante, flamenco great Lole Montoya and her mom La Negra are singing parts of Umm Kulthum’s famous “Alfi Leila W-Leila.” You’ll also hear fragments from Saudi Arabian icon Tarik Abdul-Hakimthat’s most famous work “Ya Reem Wadi Thaqif,” which was also sampled by the Gipsy Kings in “Viento del Arena.”

While these are secular songs not associated with Ramadan, they are an example of Arabic influences on flamenco. For almost 800 years, Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa ruled the Iberian Peninsula, known as “Al Andalus” in present day Spain and Portugal. In this civilization, there were periods of “convivencia” when Sephardic Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together and developed a common musical style that greatly influenced the folk music of Spain. Centuries after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella established the Spanish monarchy, this folk music played an integral role in the development of flamenco as we know it today.