Pêcheurs de perles et musiciens du Golfe Persique

Khaleeji (Khaliji) is the contemporary popular music of the Arabian Gulf, spanning Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. It blends deep-rooted Gulf rhythmic traditions and poetic forms with modern pop arrangement, creating a distinctly percussive, melodic, and danceable sound. Core characteristics include driving hand-drum grooves (mirwās, tabl, riqq), ornate vocal lines grounded in the Arabic maqam system (often Bayātī, Rāst, Ḥijāz, and Nahāwand), and Gulf-dialect (Nabaṭī) lyrics that balance romantic themes with imagery of desert, sea, and kinship. Since the 1980s, synthesizers, drum machines, and lush string pads have joined oud, violin, and qanun, giving Khaleeji its sleek pop sheen while preserving its rhythmic identity (samri and khaleegy dance rhythms). The result is a style that feels both traditional and modern: celebratory and suited to social dancing, yet melodically expressive and lyrically intimate.

Fijiri (also spelled fidjeri) is the sea-song repertoire of the pearl-diving communities of the Persian Gulf, especially in Bahrain and Kuwait. It is led by a powerful soloist (the nahhām) who is answered by a chorus of divers, creating a call-and-response texture supported by handclaps and very sparse percussion. The core instruments are the mirwās, a small double-sided hand drum played with the fingers, and the jāhlah, a clay pot struck and rubbed with the hands. Together with coordinated clapping, they generate the interlocking rhythms that propel the songs. Melodically, fijiri draws on Gulf-Arab modal practice and features melismatic, ornamented solo lines floating over the steady pulse of the chorus. Traditionally performed at weekly gatherings of divers and crew, fijiri alternates free, emotive solos with tightly synchronized choral sections. The texts evoke the sea, the hardships and camaraderie of diving, spiritual reflection, and the longing felt during long voyages.