After featuring the Sultana of Tarab Music and the Prince of Arabic Violin, the Master of Buzuq, we proudly present Hajja Zeinab El Mansouria.
Music is a powerful force for healing and reconnecting us with our roots and shared humanity in a world of numerous challenges
'From Ocean to Gulf: Heritage Music of the Arab World' is a new series by Ahram Online, in partnership with the AMAR Foundation (Foundation For Arab Music Archiving and Research). Focusing on the early years of recording in our region, which reflected a modern cosmopolitan repertoire and coincided with the Renaissance era that flourished in Egypt between the mid-19th century and the 30s of the twentieth century, this initiative aims to introduce our audience to the iconic figures of Arab music whose contributions have enriched our intangible cultural heritage and inspired generations worldwide.
A short life with a huge impact
In the bustling streets of Egypt in the early twentieth century, a new voice emerged, one that touched the hearts of the general public. It belonged to Zeinab El Mansouria.
Zeinab is considered a true pioneer, for she was the first female professional Shaabi (folk/local) singer in the country. Her presence in the 1920s was much more than just about performance; it had a wider impact on the cultural scene at the time, emphasizing the beauty and inner richness of the Egyptian Shaabi experience.
Listen to her rare song Awwil Ma Nebdi here :
Hajja Zeinab was born in 1898, and her career was deeply intertwined with the famous folk music troupe of the brothers Hassan and Hussien Abdou.
Their unique voice, coupled with the moans of the local mizmar (the rural flute) and the earthly tones of the argul (the double-piped wind instrument), constituted the perfect musical background for Zeinab’s special voice.
The troupe soon became her family as she married Hajj Hassan Abdou, the troupe's renowned Mizmar player. After a short while, he died in 1933, leaving Zeinab and their little child Kamal. A widow with a broken heart, she passed away two years later.
Professionalization
El-Mansouria’s raw and authentic songs depicted the essence of the working class's ethos, and despite her sudden death in her prime in 1935, her repertoire included milestone works like "I was picking jasmine, and I hurt my hand" and the poignant song "I brought the doctor from Egypt."
These songs and others have been preserved and documented thanks to the flourishing record industry booming at that time. She signed contracts with record companies keen on collecting the various voices of the Egyptian music scene at the time, which made her voice accessible to a larger audience through gramophone records. Such was a significant step that reinforced her status as an authentic performer.
Although she was not the only woman singer in this era, her early venture into professional singing, in parallel to her record deals, gave her a unique standing in the history of Egyptian folk music.
Many other women folk singers followed her path, such as Khadra Mohamed Khedr, Rouh Al Fouad, Gamalat Shiha (who continued to sing until her 80s), Badria El-Sayyed, and Fatma Sarhan.
These women built on the foundation established by El-Mansouria and other voices who flourished in the early twenties. This eventually helped them reach a wider audience via television and local broadcasts that were dominant powerful media. In later years, singer Fatma Eid and fellow women folk singers sustained such progress in folk songs throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
Concerts and Radio
Despite her great influence, there is very little information about Zeinab Al Mansouria. However, Amal Awrian Fouad’s book Al-Dahekoun Al-Bakion (Those Laughing and Crying), mentioned Zeinab while narrating the biography of famous Egyptian artist Shoukouko.
He stated that in his youth, he was fascinated by the songs of Sheikh Salama Hegazi and Sheikh Sayed Darwish, which were played at local cafes. However, one day, he heard the voice of a woman wedding singer on the rooftop of a nearby house. That was Zeinab Al Mansouria’s voice, which he fell in love with. This led him to embrace all genres of Egyptian songs.
Moreover, The History of Folk Singing From Mawal to Rap, written by Yasser Thabet, highlights the era when Zeinab flourished thanks to the Egyptian radio that boomed in the early 1930s and played a central role in increasing the reach of artists all over the country. Hajja Zeinab El Mansouria stands out because she was much more than an enchanting singer, she was a storyteller and a historian of the joys and grief of Egyptian daily life. Her genuine performances and touching stories have left a grand mark on Egyptian heritage music.
A window on the heart of Egypt
Zeinab’s songs were a window overlooking the heart of Egypt. In the fine elegies, from I Was Picking Jasmine to A Stranger Returning Home, she explores the challenges and complexities of love, loss, and life. She could create true romantic love stories through songs like Ahwa Ghazal [I Fell for a Deer] or Ah Yana Ya Wadi [Oh My, Oh My]. She also focused on the merits of hard work and patriotism through songs such as Ana Men Gheyeti fe El-Ward [My Passion for Flowers] and Mafasli Faslet [My Joints Cracked].
Among her famous performances is Laban Halib [Milk], a duet with Hassan Mabrouk. She chanted quite powerful songs too, such as Men Hab Ragel Yeeish Ragel w Yemout Ragel [Who Loved a Man, Lives and Dies Like One], Men Masr Gebna Tabib [From Egypt We Brought A Doctor], and Ya Set Ya Saida [Oh You Lady, Oh You Woman]. She was bold, tackling deep issues. El-Mansouria also presented folk wisdom in Dawaia Yaba [My Remedy] and passionate love stories in songs such as Azizza Tells Younis. She sang for sleepless nights in Kam Ashar El Leil [Oh, How I Stayed Up All Night] and advised in her song Yalli Enta Mofti [You Who Play the Role of Mufti].
A Sufi leader and poet
Zeinab was a source of power not to be underestimated, not only in life matters but also in spiritual and financial ones. She was famous for her captivating beauty and lavish richness, which were reflected in her choice of attire. It is said that she used to wear a wishah (traditional scarf of her Sufi sect) made of pure silver, with a crescent in the centre, a symbol of Egypt, embroidered with pure gold threads.
Hajja Zeinab was a prominent figure of the Al-Shazlia Al-Ahmedia Sufi Order, and she was a very respectful, wealthy, and influential figure who played a key role in the cultural and spiritual life in Egypt.
Her grandson, Dr. Sami Kamal Hassan, stated that she participated in the first Conference for Arabic Music in 1932 and recorded several duets with her counterpart, the famous and leading folk singer Mohamed El-Arabi.
Hajja Zeinab was also a poet with abundant production of poetry including religious poems that were very popular among her followers. Her dedicated spiritual words contributed to her fame, but unfortunately, many were lost in time.
The artistic and human legacy
Zeinab's story is a reminder of the power and resilience of women throughout history.
She was a woman of deep spirituality, a talented poet, and an admirable and respectful leader. Her dedication to her faith, and her husband is deep and inspirational.
Zeinab’s legacy is a testimony of women’s smooth power, which deserves to be acknowledged. Although most of her works were harshly lost to time, her stories were passed on in her family, and are still inspiring for they reflect the vastness and depth of life at large.
As for her artistic legacy, it remains a grand testimonial of the endless power of folk traditions and storytelling through singing and her capability to grasp the essence of the nation. Her songs remain rooted in the vibrant fabric of Egyptian folk music that embodies the heart and the spirit of a whole generation.
What remains from such an incredible legacy is deeply engraved in the memory of those who listened to her sing and got attached to her voice that was coated with passion and melancholy and the harshness of daily life, and also in the preserved records in prestigious records companies such as Bidaphone and Polyphone. As for those interested in exploring such a fascinating era of Egyptian music, additional research is still highly needed on Hajja Zeinab El Mansouria’s legacy.
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