The Nadba ( ar, الندبه) is a cultural ceremonial

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

native to the

Shihuh The Shihuh ( ar, الشحوح, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain rang ...

, an Arab tribe that inhabits Ruus Al Jibal (Musandam Peninsula) in

eastern Arabia Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...

. It is a famous cultural dance in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, particularly in

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

. Although a battle cry, its use is not restricted during time of combat but today is commonly performed in ceremonies, weddings, feasts, and to honor guests. It is performed by a group of tribesmen, who usually pick a leader (called the Nadeeb - ar, النديب) to lead the battle cry. The battle cry is performed by the leader raising his left arm across his chest to his mouth and his right arm bent above and behind his head, then straightening and bending the raised hand as he howls in an ascending and descending scale in Arabic to the lyrics of "Al Shehhi Al Mayhob" while the surrounding tribesmen, who form a circle around the leader (called Kabkub - ar, كبكوب), chant to the lyrics of "Ho..Ho..Ho" (shortened word of

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

u). The members performing the ceremony are call Ridida ( ar, الرديدة).

References

{{reflist Emirati culture Emirati traditions Arab culture

See also

References