Muwashshaḥāt Masterclass: Poetry, Melody and the Living Tradition of Aleppo

Discover the world of the muwashshaḥāt, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most enduring poetic-musical forms with Ibrahim Muslimani. In this interactive masterclass, Syrian musician and musicologist Ibrahim Muslimani introduces participants to the historical roots, musical forms and performance practices of the muwashshaḥ, with a particular focus on the rich tradition preserved and cultivated for centuries in Aleppo, Syria. Through listening, demonstration and collective practice, participants will explore the relationship between poetic metre, maqām, rhythmic cycles (īqā‘āt), melody and vocal interpretation, gaining first-hand insight into how this centuries-old repertoire continues to live through oral transmission and performance. In partnership with SAMA Research Network, CRASSH. About Ibrahim Muslimani Ibrahim Muslimani is a specialist in the musical traditions of Aleppo, with particular expertise in muwashshahāt, qudūd, maqām, rhythmic practice and Sufi musical traditions. His work as a musician, researcher, author and teacher also explores the wider connections between Arabic and Ottoman-Turkish musical traditions, bringing together performance, oral transmission, research and documentation. He is the founder and director of Nawa Band and Nefes Foundation for Arts & Culture, and has presented his work through concerts, lectures, workshops and cultural projects internationally. About the SAMA Research Network, CRASSH Studies in Arts, Migration, and Aurality (SAMA) is a research network at CRASSH, University of Cambridge. The network attends to the interdisciplinary and critical reflections resurgent within Migration Studies, echoing ongoing calls for greater convergences across the humanities and social sciences. By recognising the growing global pressures on academic researchers engaging with the diverse lived experiences of forced migration, SAMA challenges existing norms and opens space for these conversations within Cambridge and the wider global academic community. We take a primarily sensorial approach to research offering practice-based sessions and workshops focusing on the intersections of sound, media, memory, and migration. Acknowledging that academic institutions, including the University of Cambridge, have actively contributed to contemporary issues of forced migration through their histories of colonialism and empire, the network seeks to create spaces of critical reflection on these histories. About The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts runs from 19 to 29 November 2026, bringing performances, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to Cambridge's historic colleges, museums, and cultural spaces. Open to everyone, the festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Islamic arts, and, fifty years on from the landmark 1976 World of Islam Festival, carries that spirit into our own time. Find out more at cfia.co.uk.