The label Le Chant du Monde has released a double CD with song and performance from the Sufiliturgy of the Great Ummayad Mosque in Damascus. The CDs are accompanied by an elongated CD booklet with beautiful photos and extensive explanations (in French and English) about the origin of Sufism, the whirling dervishes, the 'sama' ritual and about Syria. Sufism is a mystical Islamic movement that originated
… in the ninth century and in which music plays an important role in getting into a trance, a state of 'soul' in which the space is created to experience God's presence. Syria is called the 'land of the prophets' and Damascus is the center of the Islamic world (in this city many prophets lived). The Great Ummayad Mosque in Damascus is a sacred site in every way: it is built on the remains of a Greek temple, a Roman temple and a Christian church respectively. Performers of the Sufiliturgy of this mosque are the cantor Sheikh Hamza Shakkûr and the Ensemble Al-Kindî (founded by the French-Swiss zither player Julien Jalal Eddine Weiss). The vocals and line-up are sober and introverted, so that the music and its message come across as authentic as possible. (SvdP) The vocals and line-up are sober and introverted, so that the music and its message come across as authentic as possible. (SvdP) The vocals and line-up are sober and introverted, so that the music and its message come across as authentic as possible. (SvdP)more
