Ardah ( ar, العرضة /
ALA-LC
ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script.
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: ''al-‘arḍah'') is a type of
folkloric
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...
group dance in the
Arabian Peninsula. The dance is performed with two rows of men opposite of one another, each of whom may or may not be wielding a sword or cane, and is accompanied by drums and spoken poetry.
Originally, the "ardah" was performed only by males of tribes of the Arabian Peninsula before going to war, but nowadays it is done at celebrations, weddings, and national and cultural events by males of all tribes, such as the
Jenadriyah
Al-Jenadriyah ( ar, مهرجان الجنادرية, Maharajān al-Janādrīyah) is a cultural and heritage festival held in Jenadriyah (or JanadriyahMohammad NowfalJanadriyah, Saudi Arabia, ''Splendid Arabia'' website. Retrieved 2010-08-23) near ...
festival. There currently exists various types of ardah across the
Arabian Peninsula.
It was inscribed on
UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015 as Alardah Alnajdiyah.
Variations
The term 'ardah' (عَرْضَة) is thought to derive from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
verb ''ard'' (عَرَضَ) meaning 'to show' or 'to parade'. It was so named because its purpose was to publicly display the fighting strength of a tribe and boost morale before an armed engagement.
Although there are regional variations of the particular rendition of ardah, the purpose it serves is nearly identical throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi ardah
Najdi ardah is the most common variant of ardah in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. It is also the most practiced and highly televised male folkloric dance in the entire country. The Saudi government changed its name to 'Saudi ardah' in the 21st century. However, there are numerous variations of ardah distinct from Najdi ardah throughout the country, notably in the regions of
Najran,
Asir and
Jizan
Jazan ( ar, جازان, Jāzān), also spelled ''Jizan'' ( ar, جيزان, Jīzān), ''Gizan'' or ''Gazan'', is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with ...
.
See also
*
Middle Eastern dance
The traditional dances of the Middle East (also known as Oriental dance) span a large variety of folk traditions throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
For detailed information on specific dances of the region, see the main ...
*
Mizmar
*
Yowlah
The yowlah ( ar, اليولة, ''al-yawlah'', or العيالة, ''al-ʿayyalah'' or ''al-ʿiyyalah''), is a weapon dance of the United Arab Emirates, traditionally performed during weddings, celebrations, and other events. The dance is accomp ...
References
External links
Ardah, Conference on Music in the Islamic World/Urkevich
Arab dance
Group dances
Middle Eastern dances
Arab culture
Saudi Arabian culture
Dance in Saudi Arabia
Dance in the United Arab Emirates
Dance in Bahrain
Dance in Qatar
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