Iraqi Maqam

Iraqi maqam is the urban art-music system of Iraq, most fully developed in Baghdad, in which a vocalist improvises through a codified repertory of melodic modes (maqamat) in a fixed ceremonial sequence. Performances are led by a singer of maqam, traditionally accompanied by the Baghdad tchalghi ensemble of santur, jorza (spike fiddle), tabla and riqq, and unfold as slow, meditative suites of composed and improvised sections praising God, the Prophet or the beloved. Masters such as *Mohammed al-Qubbanchi*, *Yusuf Omar* and *Nazem Al-Ghazali* defined its recorded form; UNESCO inscribed Iraqi maqam on its Representative List in 2008.