Karama Mursal كرامة مرسال | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Karama Saeed Ali Mursal |
| Also known as | Karama Mursal, Abu Sabri |
| Born | January 1, 1946 Mukalla, Hadramaut, Yemen |
| Origin | Yemen |
| Died | August 3, 2014 (aged 68) |
| Genres | Hadhrami music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Oud, violin |
| Years active | 1963–2014 |
Karama Mursal was a Yemeni singer born in Al-Mukalla, [1] the capital of Hadhramaut Governorate, located in southeastern Yemen. He began his artistic career in the 1960s, precisely in 1963, at the age of seventeen, singing the works of many Hadhrami poets, notably the Hadhrami poet Hussein Abu Bakr Al-Mihdhar, who played a significant role in the success of his songs. He also sang poems by Omar Abu Bakr Al-Aidarus, Ahmed Salim Al-Bayd, Ahmed Salim Bamatraf, Jam'an Bamatraf, Junaid Bawazeer, and Abbas Al-Dilmi.
He presented many patriotic works and had a significant impact on national singing.
Karama Mursal was born in the old area of Al-Mukalla, the capital of Hadramaut Governorate, in the year 1946. He was raised and brought up in the city's neighborhoods. Karama grew up in a well-to-do and educated family. His talent for singing began to show during his childhood when he listened to his parents singing folk songs.
Karama Mursal was married and had 13 children. He lived a stable life in his villa in the Fuh neighborhood, west of Al-Mukalla. Additionally, he owned a chalet in Muscat , a house Kuwait, and property in Jeddah. Karama was known for his lightheartedness and humorous spirit. His performances and TV interviews were often filled with humor and witty remarks. He was also known for his boldness and lack of shyness. In one of his TV interviews, he described local production companies as thieves and robbers.[ citation needed ]
In an interview with Al-Thawra newspaper, Karama was asked about love, to which he replied: "Love is the light of life, and a life without love is worthless." When asked about women, he said: "Women are the lifeblood; they are mothers, sisters, and wives." He answered on the subject of Yemeni unity: "It's a symbol of Yemen's strength in the past, present, and future." He also described the region of Al-Shihr, saying: "It's happiness, love, the haven of poets, and their inspiration." When asked about the film Farewell, he called it "one of the most difficult and emotional things."
Karama Mursal started his artistic journey in 1963, at the age of seventeen, when the famous Yemeni artist Mohammed Juma Khan passed away, leaving a void in the music scene. However, Karama began to fill that void and gained popularity by performing folk concerts and weddings, singing songs by Mohammed Juma Khan, which served as a strong stepping stone for his presence in the music scene.
In addition to his singing talent and distinctive voice, Karama was also known for his skill in composing. Throughout his career, he composed many songs for prominent Yemeni and Gulf artists. He began releasing his first songs and albums in 1969 when he met the great poet Hussein Abu Bakr Al-Mahdhar, and he composed his songs himself and released his first albums. He continued working with him and the artist Abu Bakr Salem until the death of poet Hussein Abu Bakr Al-Mahdhar in 2000.
During his artistic career, Karama presented many songs that became famous for their Hadhrami style, notably the song "Matem" (Infatuated), [2] which garnered admiration from Gulf and Arab audiences. It was covered by other Gulf Arab singers like Rashed Al-Majed and the band Miami Band. Additionally, Karama had a substantial contribution to national songs in the Arab world and Yemen, such as the song "Hobbi Laha" (My Love for Her).
Today, Karama Mursal is widely recognized in the Yemeni music scene and the broader Gulf Arab region. He annually performs in more than six private and public concerts across the Gulf Arab countries, especially in Kuwait, Muscat, and Saudi Arabia.
Karama Mursal passed away on Sunday, August 3, 2014, in Hadhramaut, Yemen, at the age of 68, after battling a serious illness. His death was announced by official media sources.
Hadhramaut is a geographic region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saudi Arabia. The name is of ancient origin, and is retained in the name of the Yemeni Governorate of Hadhramaut. The people of Hadhramaut are called Hadarem. They formerly spoke Hadramautic, an old South Arabian language, but they now predominantly speak Hadhrami Arabic.
Yemen, a country on the Arabian Peninsula, holds a prominent position in the realm of music, garnering recognition for its distinctive musical traditions. Revered as a cultural capital within the Arab world, Yemen has contributed significantly to the musical landscape of the region.
Seiyun is a city in the region and Governorate of Hadhramaut in Yemen. It is located in the middle of the Hadhramaut Valley, about 360 km (220 mi) from Mukalla, the capital of Mukalla District and the largest city in the area, via western route. It is also 12 km (7.5 mi) away from Shibam and 35 km (22 mi) away from Tarim, other large cities in the valley.
The majority of the Arabs in Singapore are Hadharem and traced their ancestry to the southern Arabian Peninsula in Hadramaut, Yemen. The valley region was part of a confederacy once ruled by the Queen of Sheba. Hadramaut was mentioned in The Old Testament. Its fertile areas, suitable for cultivation, had beguiled ancient Romans to call it Arabia Felix.
Mukalla is a seaport and the capital city of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, about 480 kilometres east of Aden. It is the most important port city in the Hadhramaut region. It is also the sixth-largest city in Yemen, with a population of approximately 595,000 as of 2023. The city is served by the nearby Riyan International Airport.
Kathiri, officially the Hadhrami Kathiri Dynasty in Seiyun or the Sultanate of Seiyun, was a sultanate in the Hadhramaut region of the southern Arabian Peninsula, in what is now part of Yemen and the Dhofari region of Oman.
Hadhramaut Governorate is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate.
Ahmad al-Muhajir also known as Al-Imām Aḥmad bin ʿĪsā was an Imam Mujtahid and the progenitor of Ba 'Alawi sada group which is instrumental in spreading Islam to India, Southeast Asia and Africa. He was the son of 'Isa the son Muhammad the son of Ali al-Uraydi who was the fourth son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, a fifth generation descendant of Ali and Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad. He was a known acquaintance of Bishr al-Ḥāfī.
Abu Bakr al-ʿAydarūs, also known as Sayyid Abū Bakr al-ʿAdanī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAydarūs was a Hadhrami religious scholar of Sufism and a poet who wrote in vernacular style. Abu Bakr spent most of his adult life in Aden, where he was well respected for his societal contributions to the well-being of the city's residents. After his death in 1508, he was mourned by the city's residents, and was later venerated as the wali or "patron saint" of Aden.
The Hadharem or the Hadhrami are an Arab sub-ethnic group indigenous to the Hadhramaut region in South Arabia, which is part of modern-day eastern Yemen. They speak Hadhrami Arabic. Among the two million inhabitants of Hadhramaut, there are about 1,300 distinct tribes.
The Socotra Archipelago or Suqutra is officially one of the governorates of Yemen. It is composed of the Guardafui Channel's archipelago of Socotra.
The First Battle of Mukalla (2015) was a battle between al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, local tribesmen, and the Yemen Army for control of the coastal city of Mukalla, Yemen.
Khalid Saeed Batarfi, also known as Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī, is a Saudi Arabian militant and the current emir of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He oversaw the Yemen-based group's media network and led jihadist fighters in their takeover of Yemen's Abyan Governorate in 2011, where he was accorded the position of emir. He also reputedly carried out terrorist attacks in the Abyan and Hadhramaut governorates.
The Hadramaut insurgency was an insurgency in Yemen launched by AQAP and ISIL-YP against forces loyal to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Abu Bakr Salem Balfaqih was a Yemeni-Saudi singer, poet, and composer of Hadhrami origins. He is also nicknamed 'Abu Aseel, The Father of Khaliji Music and 'the one with the golden larynx'. Abu Bakr is known in the Arab world by his unique voice.
Tarim is a historic town situated in Wadi Hadhramaut, Yemen. It is widely acknowledged as the theological, juridical, and academic center of the Hadhramaut Valley. An important focus of Islamic learning, it is estimated to contain the highest concentration of descendants of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad known as the Sadah anywhere in the world. The city is distinguished for producing numerous Islamic scholars, including Imam al-Haddad. Additionally, Tarim is also home to Dar al-Mustafa, a well-known educational institute for the study of traditional Islamic Sciences.
Hadramout region, is the largest of the six Federal Regions of Yemen that is expected to be activated in the next constitution, to be a federal autonomous region in eastern Yemen. The Hadramout region includes four Yemeni “Wilayat” or States, which are Hadramout, Al-Mahrah, Shabwah and Socotra, with its capital being the city of Al-Mukalla. Some of the people of Al-Mahrah governorate reject the decision of mixing them with the Hadramout region and demand the establishment of a region of their own.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Wikipedia articles available about the Yemeni Crisis, revolution, and Yemeni civil war (2014–present).
