Salwa Jaradat Spotlights Forgotten Female Sufi Poets on Album ‘Nafas’

A master of the oud and tar, as well as a dedicated musicologist, Palestinian artist Salwa Jaradat has long focused on giving voice to female singers from the early 20th centuries, artists who had remained largely in the shadows. Her work reimagines archival material, bringing their forgotten music into the present. It was in that spirit that she conceived her long-awaited debut album, Nafas.

Released on the Tiny Music label, Nafas, which is the Arabic word for “breath”, stands as both a tribute to women in Arab music and a form of cultural resistance inspired by Sufi music. Across six tracks, Jaradat revives the poetry of forgotten female Sufi poets, blending traditional Arab music with contemporary influences to create something timeless yet urgently present.

The album emerged from an intensive artist residency at Hammana Artist House in Lebanon and a deep, multi-country research journey. Jaradat explored the absence of women in Arab music archives, attending Sufi conferences in Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt, and immersing herself in the spiritual and musical heritage of the region.

Each composition draws on verses by female mystics such as Aisha Al-Bauniya, Sayyeda Nafisa, Rabia Al-Adawiya, Maymuna bint Hassan, Fatima (wife of Hamdun al-Qassar), and Rayhana, known as 'The Madwoman'. Collaborating with regional musicians, including oud player and composer Cham Salloum, Jaradat blends meticulous scholarship with improvisation, bridging the gap between academic research and lived musical experience.

Nafas is a living archive: an attempt to transmit knowledge in a way that is vibrant, accessible, and resonant, a musical testament to voices that history nearly silenced.