Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah Epic

Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epic or the Hilali epicis is an oral poem that recounts the saga of the Bedouin tribe of Bani Hilal and their migration from the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa in the 10th century AD. This epic poem is considered one of the major epic poems that that developed within the Arabic folk tradition, and it is the only one still performed in its integrated musical form, where poets sing verses while playing the rabab.
This epic has disappeared from all over the Middle East except for Egypt, where it performs at weddings, circumcision ceremonies, and private gatherings. However, the number of performers is dwindling due to competition from contemporary media and the decreasing number of young people able to adhere to the rigorous training process that takes up to 10 years.

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Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah Epic was inscribed in 2008 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Egypt.