Radio Aleppo is the home of the creators of Al-Qudud Al-Halabiya

Since its establishment in 1949, Radio Aleppo has played a leading role in attracting the most prominent figures of the city of Al-Shahba, which is rich in its cultural, intellectual and musical distinguished personalities . Over the course of 72 years, it has become an important station in the history and documentation of contemporary Aleppo musical production.

This ancient Radio boasts of a rich   lyrical and musical archive . It  contains the most beautiful words, the sweetest melodies of love for man and the homeland through all the forms  of the lyrical heritage, especially the ones that Aleppo was famous for mainly Muwashahat and Qudoud Al-Halabiya.

Radio Aleppo has become   one of the pillars of the Qudud Al-Halabiya file that was worked on in 2018 to be on the UNISCO ‘S   Humanitarian heritage list .

Through  Radio Aleppo , the city’s media began to develop and spread  Aleppo’s Contemporary Art School during the second half of the twentieth century, to make al-Shahba a city of art, thought and literature, and its radio  was the main  home for the city’s creators.

 “ Radio Aleppo is one of the ancient Arab radio stations, and it has formed one of the most important parts  of Aleppo and Syrian memory since its foundation” Radio Aleppo Director Abdul Khaleq Qalaaji  confirmed to  SANA.

Qalaaji reviewed the most prominent names that enriched the music field  including Dr. Fouad Ragai Agha Al-Qalaa, musician Sheikh Ali Darwish, Omar Al-Batsh, Bakri Al-Kurdi, SabriMudallal, Mamdouh Al-Jabri, Muhammad Rajab, Bahjat Hassan, Sabah Fakhri, Muhammad Khairy, Mustafa Maher and others.

Radio Aleppo Director  pointed out that the first recordings on Radio Aleppo date back to 1957 after the adoption of the recording technology,  stressing  that Radio Aleppo was a main platform for attracting prominent singers as well as  young talents to introduce their talents and  creativity.

The interest in the lyrical and musical aspect was one of the most important roles played by Aleppo Radio, according to Qalaaj , through   documenting the inherited and transmitted lyrical heritage including Qudud , Muwashahat,  in addition to  poems to be recorded on the radio.

He referred to Radio Aleppo’s major role also in  documenting, transcribing and recording music and the heritage mechanism by which al-Shahba was famous.

Today, Radio Aleppo daily broadcasts al-Qudud al-Halabiya and al-Muwashahat to keep it alive and to preserve it for the young generation as the secret of Al-Qudud Al-Halabiya is its simplicity, sincerity and beauty  that enriches life, love and humans.

Rawaa Ghanam