New book captures Turkish adoration of Umm Kulthum

The legendary Egyptian singer’s voice soared over the airwaves at a time when Atatürk was trying to ban Eastern music in favour of Western imports. The love was long-lasting, as a new book explains.

Cover of the book "Umm Kulthum and the Turks"

New book captures Turkish adoration of Umm Kulthum

Abdul Rahman Mazhar Halloush

last update on 02 Apr 2025

Singer Umm Kulthum (1898-1975) is regarded by many as one of Egypt’s greatest cultural gifts to the Middle East over the past century. She left an extraordinary and enduring legacy, with Turks among her most ardent admirers, embracing her music with passion as early as the 1930s.

Marking 50 years since the passing of the ‘Star of the East,’ this adoration is detailed and explained in a book published by Marfaa called Umm Kulthum and the Turks, translated by Ahmed Zakaria and Malak Deniz Özdemir.

Written by music critic Murat Özyıldırım, it explores Turkish admiration for Umm Kulthum, their fascination with her voice and artistry, and the dynamic musical exchange between Arabs and Turks. Özyıldırım also explores her influence on Turkish musical life, highlighting the impact of Westernisation that led to the ban on Turkish music on radio and in cinema.

Shared heritage

The author explores the long history of coexistence between Arabs and Turks, showing how their deep-rooted cultural heritage—shaped largely by peaceful interactions—explains why many melodies are sung in both Arabic and Turkish. This musical bond is most evident in regions where both communities have lived together or close by.

The book sheds light on the well-documented presence of Egyptian musicians at the Ottoman court, as well as the Turkish artists who travelled to Egypt under the patronage of the Khedives (viceroys of Egypt under Turkish rule from 1867-1914). These exchanges helped shape Arab-Turkish musical relations during the Ottoman era.

The similarities between Arabic and Turkish music can be seen in melodies, songs, vocal improvisations (mawwals), the shared use of the same musical instruments for centuries, and shared aspects of musical performance, including stage presence and orchestral arrangements. Even lyrical themes can bear striking similarities.

This shared musical essence—sometimes called ‘Eastern Music’—is heard in cities like Aleppo, Mardin, Hatay, and Latakia, where songs are performed in both Arabic and Turkish and sometimes in Kurdish or Assyrian.

The book shows parallels between Turkish and Arabic artists, such as Ajda Pekkan and Fairuz, Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Münir Nurettin Selçuk, Abdel Halim Hafez and Orhan Gencebay, Yıldırım Gürses and George Wassouf, and Hakan Taşyan. While their voices may not resemble Umm Kulthum’s, some Turkish female artists have emulated her on stage, particularly her signature use of the handkerchief.

Murat Özyıldırım argues that the shared musical heritage between Arabs and Turks let Egyptian composer and performer Abduh Al-Hamouli (1841–1901) engage with Turkish musicians in Istanbul.

Accompanying Khedive Ismail on a visit to the city, Al-Hamouli performed before Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who rewarded him for his artistry. This gave him the opportunity to reshape traditional tawasheeh (five-stanza poems written in classical Arabic) and qadoud (traditional music from Aleppo, often sung for religious purposes).

According to the Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research, "mixing with the Turks and their music led him to create works that joined Egyptian and Turkish styles: he introduced tunes unknown in Egypt, such as the Hijaz Kar key.

Some songs were translated between Arabic and Turkish, fostering a sense of cultural and musical coexistence that bridged Syrian, Turkish, and Egyptian music. By the late 20th century, this long-standing interaction had played a key role in Arabic music's broader development and recognition.

Positive portrayal

Özyıldırım also highlights the positive portrayal of Arabs in Ottoman-era Turkish literature. Many Turkish writers depicted Arabs as noble and virtuous figures, a sentiment reflected in Ottoman poetry, where Arabs were seen as honourable, truthful, and dignified.

The author delves into the profound connection between Turkish audiences and Umm Kulthum, whose captivating voice commanded attention from an early age. Her performances in Damascus, Beirut, and Baghdad in 1932 helped expand her fame beyond Egypt. By the 1930s, Turks were some of her most devoted fans.

The similarities between Arabic and Turkish music can be seen in melodies, songs, vocals and lyrics.

Her legacy remains deeply ingrained in the Turkish cultural memory, particularly among urban communities, decades after Turkish audiences were first introduced to Umm Kulthum through recordings, radio broadcasts, and films, with Egyptian musical cinema playing a key role in cementing her popularity.

According to the author, one of the primary reasons for her growing prominence in Turkiye was the ban on Eastern music imposed by the modern state's secular founder and leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. On the morning of 2 November 1934, Turks awoke to the news that Interior Minister Şükrü Kaya had banned the radio broadcast of traditional Turkish (Eastern) music, replacing it with Western music or compositions adhering to Western musical principles.

Within this context of efforts to suppress Eastern music and relegate it to the past, Turkish newspapers hosted fierce debates between supporters of the two camps, with columnists passionately defending their positions. As a result, Turks turned to the musical traditions they had cherished for centuries, seeking refuge in Arabic radio stations—particularly Egyptian broadcasts.

Umm Kulthum's voice resonated deeply with Turks listening to Cairo Radio. The late Turkish politician and professor Yalçın Taş was among those to reflect on the ban on Turkish music and Umm Kulthum's influence.

"There was no Turkish music on the radio during our childhood and youth," he said. "We used to tune in to Cairo Radio, where we would hear the announcer say, 'This is Cairo,' followed by the name Umm Kulthum. We couldn't understand the Arabic lyrics she sang with her clear and magnificent voice, but her music felt very close to us."

AFP — Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum performs on November 14, 1967, at the Olympia concert hall in Paris.

In the Turkish press

The author traces Umm Kulthum's presence in Turkish newspapers and magazines, highlighting interviews with various Turkish artists about her influence—some dating back to the 1930s.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of her appeared in Cumhuriyet on 1 December 1930, where musician Neyzen Tevfik Kolaylı said: "If the East gives us another Umm Kulthum, I will stop playing the ney!" It underscored the unparalleled beauty of her voice, which was a key factor in her meteoric rise to fame during that decade.

Another notable article appeared in Issue 198 of Yedigün magazine on 23 December 1936, titled 'Umm Kulthum: The Nightingale of Egyptian Radio.' It praised her enchanting voice. "Who knows how many times you have listened to Umm Kulthum, the crystal-clear voice of Cairo Radio," it stated. "She mesmerises listeners with her shimmering voice and graceful melodies that captivate the soul."

Renowned Turkish journalist Peyami Safa also wrote about her in Cumhuriyet on 8 May 1932, referring to her as "the famous Arab singer Umm Kulthum Hanım"— a sign that she had already gained recognition in Turkiye early in her career. Safa noted that both Arabic and Turkish music appeal more to the soul than to the intellect, which is why Arabs and Turks find something deeply resonant in the other's melodies.

Interestingly, Umm Kulthum maintained friendships with several Turkish artists. When asked by journalist Ahmed Nedim Celli about her favourite Turkish singers, she named several, including Perihan Altındağ Sözeri, Münir Nurettin Bey, Safiye Hanım, Perihan Hanım, and Ahmet Yatman.

On 23 February 1940, Yeni Mecmua magazine described her as "the young Egyptian singer whose fiery and magical voice you may come across on certain nights and find impossible to ignore… She is the goddess of voice who has influenced the entire Islamic world, from India to deep within Africa".

Additionally, Yıldız magazine dedicated two separate issues to both Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Umm Kulthum. Yet it was not just in print that she made an impact. Umm Kulthum also had a remarkable influence on Turkish cinema and radio audiences in Istanbul, from where the famed Turkish classical music singer Safiye Ayla travelled to Egypt. She later shared a story about her encounter with Umm Kulthum.

We couldn't understand the Arabic lyrics she sang with her magnificent voice, but her music felt very close to us

Late Turkish politician Yalçın Taş

"Before I left Istanbul, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Said invited me to dinner at Park Hotel," Ayla recalled. "During our conversation, he learned that I was heading to Egypt soon. He suggested that I accompany him on a tour of Ankara and Europe, but I declined. So, he handed me a letter, instructing me to deliver it personally to Umm Kulthum. 'That way, you will also get to meet her,' he said. When I arrived in Egypt, I discovered that the letter addressed to Umm Kulthum was, in fact, meant for a general."

Crossing time and borders

Similar personal recollections from notable Turks who followed Umm Kulthum's broadcasts enrich the book, offering firsthand accounts of her lasting influence. Indeed, the author, Murat Özyıldırım, shares a family memory of his own.

"My late father, Talat Özyıldırım, used to tell me that my grandfather, Mehmet Talat Alp, always listened with great joy to Umm Kulthum's concerts on Egyptian radio in the 1940s, when they lived in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. Similarly, my mother, Sahar Habiboglu, recalled that my grandfather, Tahsinoglu, would listen to Umm Kulthum on Egyptian radio from their home in Tirebolu, a district of Giresun, in the 1950s."

Other testimonies include those of Adeviye Yılmaz and her husband Osman, members of the nomadic Turkmen tribes in Mersin, who recall listening to Umm Kulthum in Erdemli, a coastal area along the Mediterranean.

It shows how Turks from diverse geographical backgrounds—whether from Rumelia or the eastern coast of the Black Sea—were captivated by the Egyptian's voice. In Mardin, locals would gather outdoors on summer sofas, listening as Umm Kulthum's voice echoed through the city.

Among her notable admirers was Assyrian (or Chaldean) fabric merchant Fahmi Shouha, who seized the opportunity to attend one of her concerts during a business trip to Egypt.

Violinist İsmail Eğin, also from Mardin, recalled: "My late father used to listen to Umm Kulthum's concerts on the radio every Thursday night. As she sang, he would repeatedly hit his head against the radio. When my mother asked, 'What are you doing?' he replied, 'You don't understand—if you did, you'd be hitting your head too.'"

These oral testimonies from various regions—including Istanbul, Mersin, Diyarbakır, Giresun, Trabzon, and Bursa—show that Umm Kulthum was widely recognised and admired across Turkiye for an extended period, suggesting that interest in Arabic radio remained strong even in rural areas, when Western music dominated the airwaves.

Umm Kulthum also had a remarkable influence on Turkish cinema and radio audiences in Istanbul, leading some Turkish writers to appeal to the Ministry of the Interior, alarmed that "people's interest in the Turkish language has declined in cities influenced by Arab culture due to the prevalence of Arabic films". As a result, Arabic films were officially banned in their original language in 1942.

The author concludes that Umm Kulthum remains an enduring icon of Egyptian and Middle Eastern musical heritage, with an unparalleled voice and extraordinary talent that captivated millions and left a profound impact on audiences from Morocco to the Arabian Gulf.

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