Language, poetry, and music in the cities of Deir ez-Zor and Al-Raqqah

The Poet Abu Yazan al-Furati and the musician and artist Mufid Ismail reflect on the poetry, dialects, and music of Deir ez-Zor and Al-Raqqah – two cities in Syria connected by the Euphrates River, which flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. This represents the first in a series for the Heritage of the Euphrates platform, ‘The Pens of the Furat’.

‘Two birds migrated from their original homeland because of war and destruction, and found refuge in Turkey. But their hearts still beat with the love of their country and their motherland, Syria. They headed to the Euphrates river to find in her wind and banks relief from the pain of alienation.They feel that by being close and connected to the Euphrates river, and sitting on her banks, will enable their tears, words, and melodies to be carried along the water, and kiss the lips of the coast of their dear country, their home province of Deir ez-Zor, and out to the wider world’.