Umm Kulthum (Arabic: أم كلثوم‎, Egyptian Arabic: [ˈomme
kælˈsuË m]; French: Oum Kalthoum; born FÄ á¹ima ʾIbrÄ hÄ«m
es-Sayyid el-BeltÄ Ç§Ä« ٠اطمة إبراهيم السيد
البلتاجي on 31 December 1898, or 4 May 1904; died 3 February
1975) was an Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from
the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab
al-Sharq (كوكب الشرق, 'Planet of the East').Umm Kulthum was
known for her vocal ability and unique style. She sold over 80 million
records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling Middle Eastern
singers of all time. She is considered a national icon in her native
Egypt; she has been dubbed "The voice of Egypt" and "Egypt's fourth
pyramid".Umm Kulthum was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra,
belonging to the city of Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the
Nile Delta. Her birth date is unconfirmed, as birth registration was
not enforced throughout Egypt at that time. Some sources claim that
she was born either on 31 December 1898; 31 December 1904; or 4 May
1904. She learned how to sing by listening to her father teach her
older brother, Khalid. From a young age she showed exceptional singing
talent. Her father, an imam at the local mosque, taught her to recite
the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire book. When
she was 12 years old, her father noticed her strength in singing so he
asked her to join the family ensemble. She dressed as a boy for her
father to not face disapprobation due to having a girl on stage. At
the age of 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Abo Al-Ela, a modestly
famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arabic repertoire. A
few years later, she met the famous composer and oudist Zakariyya
Ahmad, who invited her to come to Cairo. Although she made several
visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before
permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the
house of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her to play the oud, a type of
lute. She developed a close relationship with Rawheya Al-Mahdi, Amin's
daughter, and became her closest friend. Umm Kulthum even attended
Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she normally preferred to avoid
appearing in public (offstage).
kælˈsuË m]; French: Oum Kalthoum; born FÄ á¹ima ʾIbrÄ hÄ«m
es-Sayyid el-BeltÄ Ç§Ä« ٠اطمة إبراهيم السيد
البلتاجي on 31 December 1898, or 4 May 1904; died 3 February
1975) was an Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from
the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab
al-Sharq (كوكب الشرق, 'Planet of the East').Umm Kulthum was
known for her vocal ability and unique style. She sold over 80 million
records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling Middle Eastern
singers of all time. She is considered a national icon in her native
Egypt; she has been dubbed "The voice of Egypt" and "Egypt's fourth
pyramid".Umm Kulthum was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra,
belonging to the city of Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the
Nile Delta. Her birth date is unconfirmed, as birth registration was
not enforced throughout Egypt at that time. Some sources claim that
she was born either on 31 December 1898; 31 December 1904; or 4 May
1904. She learned how to sing by listening to her father teach her
older brother, Khalid. From a young age she showed exceptional singing
talent. Her father, an imam at the local mosque, taught her to recite
the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire book. When
she was 12 years old, her father noticed her strength in singing so he
asked her to join the family ensemble. She dressed as a boy for her
father to not face disapprobation due to having a girl on stage. At
the age of 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Abo Al-Ela, a modestly
famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arabic repertoire. A
few years later, she met the famous composer and oudist Zakariyya
Ahmad, who invited her to come to Cairo. Although she made several
visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before
permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the
house of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her to play the oud, a type of
lute. She developed a close relationship with Rawheya Al-Mahdi, Amin's
daughter, and became her closest friend. Umm Kulthum even attended
Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she normally preferred to avoid
appearing in public (offstage).
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