Semsemiah: instrument crafting and playing

Overview

Semsemiah is a popular harp-like instrument that is crafted and played among communities in the Suez Canal region. The body is attached to three wooden poles that form a triangle. The instrument is usually crafted by the players themselves, using natural or recycled materials such as wood or metal. The semsemiah is used by singers, musicians, composers, sailors (in Saudi Arabia), fishermen, and ship traders (in Egypt). It is featured in concerts, holidays, weddings, football matches and cultural festivals. Players and craftspeople include people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and abilities. The skills of crafting and playing the instrument are usually transmitted informally, within families and communities, or through bands, master players, practitioners and craftspeople. Semsemiah playing and crafting is taught from an early age, starting at about eight years. In Egypt, the...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: Egypt, Saudi Arabia
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: Egypt, Saudi Arabia
Countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia

How the System Works

Music, Performance and Oral Literature Language, Story and Memory Material Culture, Design and Technology Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuidbee2d8ce-538c-4311-95c5-48865c3723f7

ich_public_ref2119

inscription_year2024

title_enSemsemiah: instrument crafting and playing

title_frLa semsemiah: fabrication et pratique musicale de l'instrument

type_of_element_enRepresentative List

type_acronymRL

countriesEG, SA

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/02119

concepts_primary_namesInstrument making, Plucked string instruments

concepts_secondary_namesCraft workers, Emotions, Family, Income, Life cycle, Oral tradition, Social inclusion, Technical skills, Vocal music

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/17423-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enA woman makes a Semsemiah

main_image_copyrightEgyptian Film Commission (EFC), 2023

main_image_authorNot supplied

videos

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Instrument making Plucked string instruments Craft workers Emotions Family Income Life cycle Oral tradition Social inclusion Technical skills UNESCO representative list

Review and Corrections

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