Egypt's drummers beat away bad rap of tabla tunes

Women members of the 'Tablet al-Sitt' (the Lady's Tabla) perform with daf hand drums on stage in Egypt's capital Cairo, on May 4, 2022. Photos: AFP

Many Egyptians associate the tabla drum with belly dancers and seedy nightclubs but, despite its image problem, percussionists are giving the ancient instrument a new lease of life.

And it is often women who are now playing the goblet-shaped traditional drum, an early version of which has been found in the ancient temple of the Goddess Hathor in Qena, southern Egypt.