Al-Ardha – The National Sword Dance of Saudi Arabia
Warrior dances are a nostalgic reminder of former heroic battles. A remembrance of the Kingdom’s ancient heritage, Saudi Arabian traditional men’s sword dance Al-Ardha brings to life timeless chanting of bedouin poets, expressing victory and pride of Saudi history.
Saudi Arabian traditional sword dance
The dance has its roots in the Arabian Desert among the Bedouins, and was originally performed only by males of the central Najd region of Saudi Arabia. It is also often called Al-Ardha Al-Najdiyah, to define the origin.
Tribesmen seated in tent in Nayyal, Wadi, Saudi Arabia
The blend of slow dance movements, steady drum beat, narrations and singing, Al-Ardha has evolved to become a symbol of traditional Saudi Arabian culture.
Saudi men have formed a row to perform the National Saudi Al-Ardah sword dance
Image source Saudi Arabia: Views from the Kingdom book
Al-Ardha used to be performed by Arab warriors prior to meeting their enemies in battle, to display weaponry, raise morale and uplift the heroic spirit of the participants. This dance is no longer associated with war and is performed on special occasions, such as religious holidays (Islamic Eid celebration), events of national or local importance (cultural festivals), or wedding functions. It now has become a wide-spread practice throughout the Saudi provinces and is proudly inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Watching the Saudi sword dance is a richly enlightening and highly enjoyable experience.
One group of participants forms two facing rows, standing shoulder to shoulder. They wear traditional clothing specific to the Najd region of Saudi Arabia: long embroidered coats known as “daghla”, in tailored straight cut, with upright collar and six buttons. Daghla is worn over white cotton thawb called “murowdin”, with long triangular sleeves. Men hold swords in their right hands.
Basic cut of the Al-Ardha dancer’s outfit
Long pointy sleeves of the murowdin extend beyond the slit sleeves of the coat. The coat is fastened by two sets of cords: cross-tied inside and outside the coat. The fabric is usually paisley brocade in earth colors.
Basic cut of the Al-Ardha dancer’s outfit
Image source The Art of Arabian Costume, a Saudi Arabian Profile book by Heather Colyer Ross
The Al-Ardha attire is completed with a leather ammunition belt, displaying an impressive arsenal of bullets and a dagger, which is worn diagonally across the chest and on the waist.
Saudi men prepared to perform the traditional Al-Ardha sword dance
One performer in full costume carries the national flag.
A smaller group of performers is accommodated between the two rows of the first group .They hold large and small colorful drums with wool tassels. They wear thawbs and “qarmaliya”, embroidered jackets made of black velvet.
Percussionists striking their drums in the rhythm of the Al-Ardha dance.
The performance begins when a poet chants one single line of verses specific to the occasion in a loud voice, to establish the rhythm, and the verse is then repeated by the rest of the participants as the drums beat in the background. The first row of men repeats the first hemistich, while the poet moves to the second row of men, then the second row repeats it. Following the chorus of the second hemistich, the drummers with large-framed drums called Takhmeer sequentially strike three quick double-strokes, followed by a fourth stroke, upon which the carriers of the smaller drums (called Tathleeth) produce a succession of one stroke followed by two quick strokes. This basically delivers a 6/8 rhythm.
You can get an idea of what it sounds like here
As they sing, all performers sway back and forth, side to side, bend at the knee and lean forward, lifting and lowering their swords rhythmically. They occasionally shake the swords, making the blades rattle. The percussionists meanwhile also move in unison to the beat of the drums.
Al-Ardha may include as many as 50 lines of chanting poetry. Some poets find inspiration in their personal wisdom-reflecting experiences, while others patriotically glorify a certain person or tribe with their verses.
Although it doesn’t look so, the Al-Ardha dance is quite physically demanding. If a dancer gets tired during the performance, he can rest his sword on his shoulders and continue stepping with the group. Dancing may continue for hours, will short intermissions. Any man may participate regardless of his background, social status or age.
The video produced by UNESCO introducing the Al-Ardha dance is absolutely beautiful:
You might recognize some of the performers in the next few photos, taken on the special occasions of their honorary visits to Saudi Arabia.
US President George W. Bush performing Saudi Arabian sword dance
French President Francois Hollande performs sword dance during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping performing Saudi Arabian sword dance
French president Nicolas Sarkozy being introduced to Saudi Arabian sword dance
US President Obama and Russian President Putin have also visited the Kingdom, however no photographic evidence of their dancing skills were found.
One more video of Al-Ardha Sword Dance Rehearsal in Bujeri Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
