El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music will host a night of spiritual music with the Sufi group Abou El Gheit Dervishes on
Thursday July 19, 2012 in
El Dhamma Theatre for Free Arts (former El Tanbura Hall) at 9:00 PM. Entry tickets available at the entrance (30 EGP) .
The Story of the Dervishes of Abou El Gheit
Abou
El Gheit is the name of an island near Qaliyubia where a queen called
Anja once lived. She used to enslave people to work for her on her
enormous property for next to nothing.
Sheikh Hassan Ebeid was a
religious man, who had given up on any greed or material aspirations,
and did not approve of Anja's behavior. He was called Hassan Al
Ghitani, which means the one who always resides in the 'gheit' or
field.
Hassan would help the poor, mistreated farmers and
workers of queen Anja, and in the remaining time would pray in the
fields. One night he found a dead body floating in a canal near a
field where he had spent the night praying to God. He buried it
carefully and fell asleep. During his sleep he was touched by a soft
whisper of a messenger of God, who promised him that God would care
for him and protect him.
Queen Anja tried to kill Hassan several times, but never succeeded as he was protected by God's mercy.
People
began calling him Sheikh Abul Gheit, and coming from all over the
country to enjoy his presence and witness his miracles.
Sheikh
Abul Gheit died in 1830 and his son Sheik Attallah Abul Gheit followed
in his footsteps. He had many devoted admirers and was known for the
Sufi "zikr" rituals he would perform all over Egypt.
One night,
Sheikh Attallah Abul Gheit was in an area called Arab Al Mohamadi,
known for its Sudanese community and frequent zar performances. The
leader of this area was a tough man named Mohamed Morgan, who wouldn't
allow anyone to have entertainment or conduct a zikr without his
permission. During a confrontation with him, Sheikh Abul Gheit prayed
that God would purify Morgan's soul, and overnight Morgan had became
Abul Gheit's most devoted follower. Morgan joined him in every journey
after that and lead the zikr nights after Abul Gheit's death.
Morgan
was the link between Arab Al Mohamadi and Abul Gheit and the distinct
styles of Egyptian and Sudanese Zar. Through him, his sons and his
followers, a new and unique kind of music came to life. Through
constant traveling and experimenting, Abul Gheit's dervishes created an
exceptional fusion, a new kind of zar that did not believe in
'ghosts' or 'spirits', but was in fact a tool to awaken the spirit and
touch the deepest levels of the soul.
