Music of North Africa

These people brought with them a vibrant tradition that had arisen as a fusion of various kinds of Muslim music from Baghdad, Istanbul, Egypt and elsewhere.

Raï, a style of urban popular music developed in early 20th century Oran, has become a common sound in parts of Europe, especially France (which has a large Algerian population) since the late 1980s.

Egypt's best-known popular tradition is the classical Egyptian music of stars like Abdel Halim Hafez.

Since the 1930s, a number of organisations (as well as the first President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba) have been promoting ma'luf as an integral aspect of Tunisian culture, helping to keep the ancient tradition alive.

Since the 2000s, modern styles have penetrated the market and been adapted to Tunisian culture, such as reggae or hip hop.

Many artists like Weld El 15 received public notoriety from the Tunisian revolution for criticising the ancient regime in its abuse of power during the country's democratisation process.