Zar: The Egyptian Tradition To Rid Evil Spirits

Zar is found in scarce pockets throughout Egypt, surviving today largely as a performative art, most notably through the world-renowned Mazaher Ensemble in Cairo, who are among the last public Zar performers in the region. But Zar has a vast history despite its decline, with its origins generally traced to Ethiopia between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Zar was practised as a way to rid the body of possessing spirits, with different spirits believed to require different rituals, rhythms and dances to appease or expel them. The practice eventually spread throughout the Horn of Africa and into Egypt through the movement of enslaved communities.

Zar is a practice most commonly led by women. During a haflat zar, a cheikh or cheikha will make a spiritual diagnosis before leading the ritual through music, chanting and dance. Common instruments include the manjur, a belt covered in goat hooves, and the tamboura, a six-string lyre whose rhythms form the backbone of the ceremony.

The form of Zar presented today differs from its historical origins. Madiha, the Cheikha of the Mazaher Ensemble, explains: "What we do has nothing to do with exorcism. The objective of Zar is for the participants to find harmony with their inner selves. Our music and songs are primarily spiritual, helping to relieve listeners of stress and bad vibrations."

As belief in spirit possession has declined, so too has the ritual itself. What survives today is less a ceremony of exorcism than a living archive of music, rhythm and tradition, preserving one of Egypt's oldest spiritual performance practices for a new generation.

Words by @smizzowrites