Ayyalah (Al-ʿAyyālah) is a traditional Gulf Arab collective chant-and-dance performed primarily in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It features two facing rows of men chanting in unison while stepping in lockstep and brandishing thin bamboo canes that symbolize spears.
The performance is led by a chant leader and supported by a battery of frame and barrel drums, with brass cymbals punctuating the beat. Poetry praising community, kinship, valour, hospitality, and leaders is central, making Ayyalah both a musical and social ritual that affirms solidarity. Its rhythm is martial and processional, yet celebratory, and its melodies draw on Arab modal sensibilities while remaining simple and strongly rhythmic.
Ayyalah emerged among Bedouin and coastal communities of the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, reflecting the values of cohesion, protection, and celebration. The two-row formation, canes (standing in for spears), and antiphonal chanting evoke collective readiness and unity, while the poetry encodes social memory and lineage. Rhythms are carried by large and medium drums (e.g., al-ras and al-rahmani) with cymbals (sahn) accenting the pulse.
Through the 20th century, Ayyalah moved from tribal gatherings and festive occasions to civic celebrations, weddings, and public ceremonies. As the modern UAE took shape in the 1970s, Ayyalah became a cultural emblem performed by organized heritage troupes and police/military bands, often in formal events that reinforced national identity. Its staging and instrumentation were standardized for public performance without losing the core participatory character.
In 2014, “Al-ayyala, traditional performing art of the United Arab Emirates and Oman” was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging its living heritage and communal transmission. Today, Ayyalah remains an iconic fixture of national days, receptions, and weddings, with intergenerational troupes keeping the repertoire of poems, rhythms, and choreography active and adapting to amplified stages and broadcast media.
