Al ‘azi is a genre of sung poetry performed in the northern regions of the Sultanate of Oman and long regarded as the heritage, practice and collective memory of tribal Bedouin communities of the Omani desert. During processions, poets brandish swords while singing and reciting improvised poems in a Bedouin dialect or in Arabic. These describe historical events and relationships with other tribes. Al ‘azi is composed for and performed during social occasions and is transmitted among family and tribal groups.

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