Saamri… A Part of Qatari Folklore

In a time before television, radio, air conditioners, and Blackberrys, how did Qatari people get through those long, hot and restless nights? They went to a saamri of course!

A saamri is not just an important cultural pastime and integral part of Qatari folklore, but also part of the entire Khaleeji (meaning Gulf) folklore.

What is a Saamri?

What is a saamri, you ask. It is a form of singing, music and poetry which became popular in the 19th century, originating from Kuwait and Najd in Saudi Arabia. It could be compared to modern day Western karaoke, in that what makes a saamri special is that it is a collective musical activity. Everybody present in a saamri is encouraged to join in the fun.

The word saamri comes from the Khaleeji word samr, which is a word to describe a type of group gathering at night, sitting together chanting or singing poetry. It started off as people singing or chanting poems without music. As time went on, clapping and then drums were added. Today, people sometimes add keyboards to the mix. A person in a saamri is said to yasamir (the verb).

In the past it was a fun way to pass the night. However, today saamris usually take place on special and happy occasions, such as after a wedding, on Qatari National Day, and in Eid. Sometimes they take place just for fun, in people's backyards, majlises and even on the beach!

Description

In a saamri a band, or forga, will sit either in a circle, a semi-circle, two lines facing opposite one another, or two lines sitting behind one another. There are usually one or two main singers, musicians, dancers and a group of singers called muradds or echoers.

The main singers sing or chant one or two lines and the echoers repeat it in unison. The audience usually sits around them. When the music really gets going, the main singer often shouts "Safga!" meaning "Clap!" and everyone, including the audience, clap in unison. The audience is also welcome to join in the dancing. In this way the audience participates, feeling the spirit and having lots of fun.

The main instruments used in a saamri are drums. There are many different types of drums to produce different beats, but the three main ones are the teeraan or misgaa', which are held in one hand and beaten with the other, the tabla, which is usually held under one arm and beaten with both hands and a small hand-held drum called al-mirwaas.

Tambourines, known as ad-dufoof are also used. There are different names for different beats, e.g. al hooti, al gaadari, al qarwi, al khabeeti, al hajeeni. The type called al-gaadari is very popular in Qatar, and the most popular saamri forga, or band, is called Al-Saahil Al-Shargi (East Coast). They often play after weddings in Regency Halls.

Ayesha Al Murta ... was crowned queen of saamri and received a gold medal for the hoarseness of her voice

Like most activities in Qatar, the saamri is a segregated activity. But this does not mean saamri is restricted to men. There are many female saamri bands and one of the most famous saamri singers in the entire Gulf was Ayesha Al Murta, a Kuwaiti woman, who sang in the 50s, 60s and 70s and was crowned queen of saamri and received a gold medal for the hoarseness of her voice (which is a pre-requisite to be a good saamri singer)!

While today saamris usually take place after happy occasions, in the past they took place after battles. Poems sung in saamris usually talk about battle and national glory, while others talk about life and love.

Jinn and the Saamri

Many dancers often break out into erratic dance moves and trances and some fall into epileptic-like seizures.

What makes the saamri so exciting and intriguing to many is the idea that the heavy beating of the drums brings supernatural beings known as jinn. Many dancers often break out into erratic dance moves and trances and some fall into epileptic-like seizures. When this happens it is said that the person dancing has gone into a seizure known as istinzaal, in which a jinn has entered the person. Bokhoor, which is incense, is waved around them to help bring them out of this state. Qataris tell me it is a captivating and scary thing to witness.

Other strange things are said to happen in saamris. Qataris have told me they have seen people fly off their feet and eat and walk on coal. They say that the beating of the drums, if done well, is so hypnotizing that you feel yourself moving without thinking about it! I have to admit my own feet were moving by themselves when I was listening to saamri music for this article!

Many of the types of beats and dancing are similar to that of traditional African music. If you go to a saamri you will notice many people in the band are black Qataris. It turns out that some aspects of saamri originate from the black slaves who came to Qatar from Africa hundreds of years ago.

Disapproval

...some disapprove of it for religious reasons, comparing it to black magic ... saying it is dangerous as it brings jinn who may possess you

The saamri is an art and form of music which incorporates superstition and this can be found in the folklore of any culture. There are many disapproving views of saamris from within the Qatari community; some disapprove of it for religious reasons, comparing it to black magic which is forbidden in Islam, saying it is dangerous as it brings jinn who may possess you and not come out. Others look down on saamris as the pastime of lower class Qataris.

Movies

Listen to the Music of Saamri (Realplayer)

Saamri 1 | Saamri 2 | Saamri 3

Eid and Henna | Qatar Marriage Band | Qatar Marriage | Qatar Dress

Tourist and Resident Guide to Qatar