Wallāh Zamān, Yā Silāḥī
| English: It's Been So Long, O My Weapon | |
|---|---|
National anthem of the UAR Former national anthem of Egypt Former national anthem of Iraq Former national anthem of Libya | |
| Lyrics | Salah Jahin |
| Music | Kamal Al Taweel |
| Adopted | 20 May 1960 (by the United Arab Republic) 2 July 1965 (by Iraq) 1 September 1969 (by Libya) 11 September 1971 (by Egypt) |
| Relinquished | 11 September 1971 (by the United Arab Republic) 26 March 1979 (by Egypt) 17 July 1981 (by Iraq) 2 March 1977 (by Libya) |
| Preceded by | Salam Affandina (Egypt; 1958) Humat ad Diyar (Syria; 1958) Mawtini (Iraq; 1965) Libya, Libya, Libya (Libya; 1969) |
| Succeeded by | Humat ad-Diyar (Syria; 1961) Allahu Akbar (Libya; 1977, as sole anthem) Bilady, Bilady, Bilady (Egypt; 1979) Ardulfurataini (Iraq; 1981) |
"Wallāh Zamān, Yā Silāḥī" (Arabic: والله زمان يا سلاحي) was the national anthem of the United Arab Republic (UAR), a federation of Egypt and Syria, from 1960. Though the UAR disbanded in 1961, Egypt retained it as the official name of the state until 1971, and used its national anthem until 1979. It was also used as the national anthem of Iraq from 1963 to 1981. The lyrics are usually sung in Egyptian Arabic rather than Modern Standard Arabic.
History
Prior to being adopted as the UAR's national anthem, it was used as a nationalist song performed by Umm Kulthum during the Suez Crisis in 1956, known in Egypt and the Arab world as the Tripartite Aggression, when Egypt was invaded by the United Kingdom, France, and Israel. Due to its lyrics evoking national resistance, the song was played frequently on Egyptian radio during the war, sometimes as often as every 10 minutes.
The popularity of the song led to it being adopted as the national anthem of the UAR two years after the establishment of the union. It replaced the former official royal anthem of Egypt "Salām ʾAfandīnā" (سلام افندينا), composed by Giuseppe Pugioli, as well as "Nashīd al-Ḥuriyya" (نشيد الحرية), composed and sung by Mohammed Abdel Wahab;[1][2] they were adopted following the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and the abolition of the monarchy, as well as the former national anthem of Syria.
The lyrics were written by Salah Jahin, with music by Kamal Al Taweel. It was also used, without words, by Iraq from 1965 to 1981.
It was eventually replaced in 1979 for the peace negotiations with Israel by President Anwar Sadat as Egypt's national anthem by the less militant "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady", which continues to be Egypt's national anthem today.[3]
Lyrics
| Arabic original | Romanization of Arabic | English translation |
|---|---|---|
١ |
I |
I |
References
- ^ "An Evolution of Egypt's National Anthem". Egyptian Streets. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "National Anthem". Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Archived from the original on 21 Dec 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ Virginia Danielson, "The Voice of Egypt": Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology), p. 243
External links