5 May 2024

The Love Songs of Sudan

Since the early days of Sudanese music, love, romance and affairs of the heart have always been common themes in our music. Many of the Sudanese songs we hear today are versions and/or remakes of songs written and performed decades ago.

Today’s generation might be familiar with some of the songs they hear but are unaware of their origins. Sudanese singers such as Mohamed Wardi, Ibrahim Al-Kashif, Abdel Karim Al-Kabli and Osman Hussein Al-Shafi, to name a few, are legends who left behind love songs, be it for an individual or our country, that have lived throughout time and have become legendary.

Much of Sudan’s music from the ear of pre-independent Sudan was referred to as haqeeba, which is a widely respected and popular genre in Sudanese culture. Haqeeba, which is the Arabic word for ‘suitcase’, mainly refers to poetry, and the last poems written by haqeeba poets were in the late 1940s to early 1950s. The genre of music was referred to as haqeeba stating that the old records of songs were stored in suitcases.

Online casinos have recently introduced a unique feature that has caught the attention of many Sudanese players. These casinos have decided to add Sudanese love songs into their slot machines, providing an experience like no other, which were a lot of Online Slot Games in 2022. The aim is to create an immersive gambling environment for players who enjoy listening to local music while playing online slots.

This move by online casinos has been praised by many Sudanese players who find it refreshing and entertaining. It creates a sense of familiarity and cultural connection that they wouldn’t typically get with Western-centered music options. Additionally, the use of Sudanese love songs in slot machines provides a platform for local artists to showcase their talent to global audiences.

The inclusion of Sudanese love songs into slot machines is also seen as a marketing strategy for online casinos, aiming at attracting more players from the region.

Soon after haqeeba came a new era of modern Sudanese music which moved beyond the rhythms of traditional drums to orchestras. However, haqeeba is still performed today in its original style and with orchestras or musical bands and has a wide fan base.

Whether it’s haqeeba or modern Sudanese music, here are some of the most romantic Sudanese songs in history:

“Almasir” – Ibrahim Awad

Written by poet Saif Alden Aldosoqi, “Almasir” first came out in the 1970s. It is still relevant with many Sudanese singers still singing it today including Nancy Ajaj, Asim Mohamed Nour, Nader Khidir and more. Nancy Ajaj is known to sing many of the late Ibrahim Awad’s songs and she sings “Almasir” beautifully.

“Ani Malom” – Asha Al Falateya

Les casinos en ligne adoptent une approche unique pour attirer les joueurs du Soudan. Des casinos comme https://casinoscad.com/nouveaux-casinos/ ont inséré des chansons d’amour soudanaises populaires dans leurs jeux de hasard. Cette initiative s’est avérée fructueuse, car de nombreux joueurs soudanais choisissent désormais ces casinos en ligne plutôt que d’autres. L’utilisation de chansons d’amour soudanaises dans les jeux de hasard est considérée comme une stratégie de marketing intelligente par ces casinos en ligne. Elle fait appel aux sensibilités culturelles des joueurs soudanais et ajoute un élément de familiarité et de confort auquel ils peuvent s’identifier en jouant. En outre, elle crée un lien entre le joueur et le jeu, ce qui le rend plus agréable à jouer. Cette technique ne se limite pas aux casinos en ligne ciblant les joueurs soudanais ; elle s’inscrit dans une tendance plus large où les casinos en ligne utilisent la musique, les images et d’autres éléments sensoriels pour améliorer l’expérience de jeu des joueurs de différentes cultures.

“Ani Malom” first came out in the 1950s. Who wrote the song, however, is unknown. The song is about losing communication with a loved one and wondering where he or she is.

“Dama’at Al Shoug” – Abdelkarim Abdullah (Karoma)

Originally sung by Abdelkarim Abdullah (Karooma) and written by poet Mustafa Batran, “Dama’at Al Shoug” was first released in the early 1930s. The song, which is about longing for a loved one, is one of the best haqeeba songs. It has been covered by Abdul Karim Al-Kabli, Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Asim Al Bana and more in recent years. There’s a beautiful contemporary version of “Dama’at Al Shoug” by Sudanese singer Ibrahim Abdelhalim, joined by Dutch singer Vinolia Koerni.

“Habitat Oumri” – Abdul Karim Al-Kabli 

Written by late poet Alhaseen Alhassan, “Habitat Oumri” is a song for the love of your life, literally. The song was written in the early 1960s. It is believed the poet Alhaseen wrote it during his college days when he developed admiration for a young woman called Nafisa in his class.

“Hijrat Asafeer Alkharif” – Mohamed Wardi

This 1980s song was originally written by poet Isaac Alhalenqi. “Hijrat Asafeer Alkharif”, which translates to “The Immigration of Autumn Birds”, is not an explicit love song but poetically and ambiguously speaks of love, separation and longing for a loved one.

“Hikmah Wallah Wa Hekayah” – Ahmed Aljabri

It’s unsure who wrote this song. Some sources say Mohammed Ali Abu Qatati while others say Seif Aldosooqi. The song, which is about a lover having mixed feelings, was released in the 1970s by Ahmed Aljabri.

“Khadari” – Hassan Attieah

A heartfelt song about a lost love and a broken heart, “Khadari” by Hassan Attieah was released in the 1950s. It was originally written by Abdelraham Al Rayah.

“Laila Brouqaha Talouh Fi Ghamamaha” – Badi Mohamed Tayeb

This is a short YouTube clip of Badi Mohamed Tayeb singing his song, “Laila Brouqaha Talouh Fi Ghamamaha”, written by poet Mohammed Wad Alradi, on Sudanese Television in 1998. The haqeeba song, which originally came out in 1930s, is rarely covered by other Sudanese musicians; however, it is beautiful not only because of its meaning but also because of its original and authentic traditional Sudanese style and sound. There many videos of Badi Mohamed Tayeb singing “Laila Brouqaha Talouh Fi Ghamamaha” and he always sang it with a tambourine.

“Rabe’ Aldunya” – Osman Hussein Al-Shafi

Originally sung by Osman Hussein Al-Shafi, “Rabe’ Aldunya” is one of the most popular songs in Sudanese music history. It’s also one of the most covered Sudanese songs, not only by Sudanese but also by our Ethiopian neighbours. Sami Al Maghrabi, Jamal Farfoor, Asim Mohamed Nour, Mamoun Swar Al-Dhab, Mutaz Sabahi, Sameera Dunya and more are known to sing “Rabe’ Aldunya” at parties and concerts. It first came out in the 1970s and was written by poet Awad Ahmed Khalifa.

“Qayid Al Ustul” – Alhaj Mohammed Ahmed Sorour

This recording of “Qayid Al Ustul” is not the best, as are many of the audio and video recordings from the pre-independent Sudan. However, it’s the only original audio recording of the haqeeba song found on YouTube, thanks to the YouTube channel, Aghani Zaman أغانى زمان. Originally sung by Alhaj Mohammed Ahmed Sorour and written by poet Sayed Abdulaziz around the 1920s, “Qayid Al Ustul” has lived throughout time sung by popular Sudanese music artists including Mustafa Sid Ahmed, Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Asim Al Bana and more.

Youm Al Mahrajan” – Ibrahim Al-Kashif

Written by Alsir Qadoor, a well-known Sudanese poet and host of the popular Ramadan music show, Aghani wa Aghani, “Youm Al Mahrajan” was released in the 1960s by Ibrahim Al-Kashif. It has since been covered by several Sudanese singers such as Asim Mohamed Nour, Asim Al Bana, Jamal Farfoor and more.

What’s your favourite song on the list? Or what other songs do you think should be added to the list? Leave a comment in the comment section below!


Hashim Ahmed is an accountant based in Qatar, who loves history and politics. ‘I’m no historian, but here to make my predecessors proud,’ he says. Hashim loves all things Sudan.
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