Qatar is an Arab country located in the Middle East. Its culture is based on Bedouin poetry, song and dance. Traditional dances in Doha are performed on Friday afternoons; one such dance is the Ardah, a stylized martial dance performed by two rows of dancers who are accompanied by an array of percussion instruments, including al-ras (a large drum whose leather is heated by an open fire), tambourine and cymbals, along with small drums. Other instruments played in Qatar incllude the oud and rebaba, both string instruments, as well as the Arabian flute. Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ... Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. ... In the areas now controlled by Israel and Palestinian National Authority, multiple ethnic groups, races and religions have long held on to a diverse culture. ... The United Arab Emirates are a part of the Persian Gulf khaleeji tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. ... Andalusian classical music is a style of classical music found across North Africa, though it evolved out of the music of Andalusia between the 10th and 15th centuries. ... There are three factors which may assist to varying degrees in determining whether someone is considered Arab or not: Political: whether they live in a country which is a member of the Arab League (or, more vaguely, the Arab world); this definition covers more than 300 million people. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Bedouin resting at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic badawi بدوي, a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the eastern coast of the Arabian desert. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... Spanish antique tambourine The tambourine is musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with small metal jingles. ... This article is about the percussion instruments made of metal disks, for the string instrument played with beaters see cymbalum. ... Front and rear views of an oud. ... A string instrument (also stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ...

The Qatari Gulf Folklore Center is one of the preeminent centers for the study of the folk music of the Persian Gulf. Satellite image showing the Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf (Persian: خلیج فارس, pronounced khalij-e fārs) and by Arab countries Arabian Gulf (Arabic: الخليج العربي, pronounced al-Khalej el Arabi) , is an extension of the Gulf of Oman in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ...