The hair dance, an Emirati girls' tradition


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

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Anyone who has spent even a short time in the UAE will be familiar with what is popularly known as the "hair dance", or more accurately "Naashat", which is performed by younger girls at important celebrations and social occasions.

When US President Donald Trump touched down in Abu Dhabi – becoming only the second serving American president to visit – the airport terminal was lined with a group of girls performing the hair dance, often seen at UAE weddings.

Long before its exposure to US audiences this week, the tradition was captured by Alain Saint-Hilaire, a French filmmaker who visited Abu Dhabi and the other emirates several times from the 1960s.

Saint-Hilaire, who is held in high esteem in the UAE and received the Abu Dhabi Award for his work in 2012, captured scenes from a local wedding in the city.

As cooks watched over large vats of food, the celebrations continued into the night, including men's sword dancing and musicians playing traditional instruments such as the mizmar, a wind instrument, and a type of lyre called the tanbura, which was then widely played in the Gulf, but originally came from Africa.

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heading

Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.

A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.

The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.

Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.

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