Editing Culture of Egypt (section)

==Music==
{{Main|Music of Egypt}} 
{{externalvideo|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i8jw_IyrxE Turkish-Egyptian Dance Troupe Al Rakasaat's "Alexandria" Choreographed by Karen Custer Thurston]}}
Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous Egyptian and Western influences.

As early as [[4th millennium BC|4000 BC]], ancient Egyptians were playing [[harps]] and [[flutes]], as well as two indigenous instruments: the [[ney]] and the [[oud]]. However, there is a little notation of Egyptian music before the 7th century AD, when Egypt became part of the [[Muslim world]]. [[Percussion instrument|Percussion]] and vocal music became important at this time and has remained an important part of Egyptian music today.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Contemporary [[Music of Egypt|Egyptian music]] traces its beginnings to the creative work of Abdu-l Hamuli, Almaz, Sayed Mikkawi, and Mahmud Osman, who were all patronized by [[Isma'il Pasha|Khedive Ismail]] and who influenced the later work of [[Sayed Darwish]], [[Umm Kulthum]], [[Mohammed Abdel Wahab]], [[Abdel Halim Hafez]] and other Egyptian musicians.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

From the 1970s onwards, Egyptian [[pop music]] has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt. Egyptian [[folk music]] is also popular, played during weddings and other festivities. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Egyptian music was a way to communicate [[social issue|social]] and [[social class|class]] issues. The most popular Egyptian pop singers are [[Amr Diab]], [[Tamer Hosny]], [[Mohamed Mounir]], [[Angham]] and [[Ali El Haggar]]. [[Electronic music]] composers, [[Halim El-Dabh]], is an Egyptian.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=ByStaff |title=The Father of Electronic Music: A Brief History of Egyptian Composer Halim El Dabh |url=http://www.scenearabia.com/Noise/halim-el-dabh-egyptian-musician-composer-invented-electronic-music |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=SceneArabia}}</ref>

[[Belly dance]], or ''Raqs Sharqi'' (literally: oriental dancing) may have originated in Egypt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birth of Modern Raqs Sharqi, Baladi and Ghawazee (Late 1800s to 1930s) and Belly Dance (5.2) |url=https://worlddanceheritage.org/birth-raqs-sharqi/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=World Dance Heritage}}</ref>

The Arabic musical discipline known as "maqam," or chanting has both secular and religious uses. Maqams are almost always sung by men in the region, where women who perform music or sing publicly are often viewed as promiscuous. The members of Alhour, Egypt's first all-female Muslim recitation choir, are challenging deep-rooted taboos about women singing in public or reciting from the Quran in the socially conservative country. Alhour choir was launched in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Egypt's First All-Women Islamic Choir Defies Gender Taboos|url=https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/egypt-islamic-women-choir/|access-date=2021-09-14|website=Global Citizen|language=en}}</ref>