Overview
Al Ahalla is a traditional art form that blends performing arts with oral tradition. Historically tied to diving trips, the performances entail the recitation of poetry verses, typically at joyful celebrations such as weddings, holidays and public events. The practice unites people through its captivating chants and performances. Unlike other performances, Al Ahalla does not rely on traditional musical instruments such as drums or tambourines. Instead, performers, who belong to traditional arts groups, use alternating chants and bamboo sticks called ‘khayzaran’ to create rhythm. The performers, usually men, gather in circles of up to sixty people, reciting the poetry in harmony. The community participates in the practice, often through nighttime gatherings that last until sunrise. Al Ahalla is deeply connected to the past and embodies traditional poetry and cultural rituals. 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
- United Arab Emirates
- Languages
- Not specified in UNESCO dataset
- Cultural territories
- United Arab Emirates
- Countries
- United Arab Emirates
How the System Works
Al Ahalla is a traditional art form that blends performing arts with oral tradition. Historically tied to diving trips, the performances entail the recitation of poetry verses, typically at joyful celebrations such as weddings, holidays and public events. The practice unites people through its captivating chants and performances. Unlike...
Sources and Evidence
Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.
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
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
Review and Corrections
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