The vocal power of Mohammed Aman, sensitive to the finest melisma, transporting us back, through courtly poetry and chamber music to former glories of the Hejaz, cradle of Arabian civilization. In 1925, Hejaz became part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was born after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, but the history of Hejaz goes back much further. Since pre-Islamic times, Hejaz has been a hotbed of poetry and music; it was the annual 'Ukaz fair, where tribes from all over Arabia came to compete in poetic jousts. With the advent of Islam, the Umayyad dynasty settled in Damascus, but the cities of the Hejaz retained their importance, and while Mecca and Medina attracted pilgrims from all over the world, they also flourished in the arts and letters. Musicians formed a class of their own, many of whom were freed former slaves of African, Persian or Byzantine origin. Protected by patrons of the arts, they were also very popular, and this prestige extended to female singers, some of whom were of free status and were veritable divas.
