Shehhi music refers to the traditional and contemporary musical practices of the Shihuh (Shehhi) people from the Musandam Peninsula and the northern Emirates, especially Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. It is rooted in seafaring, mountain life, and communal celebrations, and carries a distinct Shehhi Arabic dialect identity within the wider Gulf (Khaleeji) soundworld.
At its core are choral, call-and-response songs led by a song-leader, robust unison refrains, and tightly interlocking handclaps and frame‑drum patterns. Melodies often draw on Arabic maqam practice (e.g., Bayati, Hijaz, Kurd) with microtonal inflections, and are accompanied by percussion such as rahmani and kasir drums, as well as regional instruments like oud, rebab, and, in some contexts, the Gulf bagpipe (habban). Repertoire spans work songs tied to fishing and pearling, war- and display-dances (razfa/razfah, ayyalah), and festive songs performed at weddings and communal gatherings.
Shehhi music arose within the Shihuh (Shehhi) communities of the Musandam Peninsula and the adjacent northern Emirates. Its earliest layers are oral and communal, shaped by seafaring (fishing and pearling), mountain agriculture, and tribal social structures. Songs functioned as work-coordination tools, expressions of pride and solidarity, and vehicles for storytelling and poetry in the Shehhi Arabic dialect. Percussive ensembles, choral responses, and ululatory shouts coalesced into performance forms that paralleled broader Gulf traditions while preserving local identity.
With the decline of traditional pearling in the early to mid-20th century and the rise of wage labor and urbanization, Shehhi music transitioned from strictly functional contexts (boats, coastal camps, mountain terraces) to staged community events, weddings, and national celebrations. Folklore troupes began formalizing razfa/razfah and ayyalah displays, standardizing drum patterns and antiphonal choruses for public performance. Radio and later television exposure encouraged the inclusion of melodic instruments (oud, rebab) and broader Khaleeji aesthetics while keeping Shehhi dialect poetry central.
In recent decades, cultural institutions in the UAE and Oman have supported documentation, training, and festival appearances for Musandam and Ras Al Khaimah troupes. Younger artists have fused Shehhi dialect lyricism and rhythmic motifs with Khaleeji pop, acoustic balladry, and modern production, bringing the sound to regional streaming audiences. While most repertoire remains community-owned and performed collectively, a growing number of artists showcase Shehhi identity through studio recordings, music videos, and cross-Gulf collaborations.
