Photo: Stuart Sevastos / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Omar Souleyman

オマール・スレイマン　/　おまーる・すれいまん

Singer from Syria

January 1, 1966 (age 60)　・　Ras al-Ayn, Hasakah Governorate, Syria

Hasakah Governorate
singer
farmer

My Take

Omar Souleyman is one of the most thrilling unlikely stories in modern music. A farmer from Ras al-Ayn in Syria's Hasakah region, he started singing at weddings in 1994 and somehow ended up electrifying festival crowds worldwide. His modernized, electronic take on traditional dabke is hypnotic, and what I love is that the soil never left it. There's no polish-for-export here, just folk music dragged into the global spotlight on its own raw terms. The stoic figure in robes and sunglasses, calmly whipping a crowd into frenzy, is exactly the kind of authenticity I find irresistible.

Overview

Omar Almasikh (Arabic: عمر المسيخ; born 1966), better known by his stage name Omar Souleyman (عمر سليمان), is a Syrian singer. He began his career in 1994 singing at weddings and has since released numerous records and performed all over the world. He produces a modernized version of the traditional dabke.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Omar Souleyman
Name (Japanese): オマール・スレイマン
Reading: おまーる・すれいまん
Born: January 1, 1966 (age 60)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Capricorn / Horse
Origin: Ras al-Ayn, Hasakah Governorate, Syria
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: singer / farmer

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Private

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Singer — see all →