The Qalali Folk Band has marked a milestone for Bahrain after winning the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards. The award recognised the group’s dedication to preserving the Kingdom’s maritime and folk musical heritage, especially the traditions rooted in the village of Qalali on Muharraq Island. Founded more than a century ago, the band is one of Bahrain’s oldest folk-music ensembles. Their performances keep alive musical forms called Al Fjiri- songs sung by pearl-divers after the day’s work at sea as well as Al Sout and Al La’abouni, vocal art-forms unique to Bahrain’s coastal culture. The band doesn’t just perform locally they bring these traditions to international audiences, representing Bahrain’s cultural memory and showcasing the rhythms, songs and dances born from the sea-faring life of the Gulf.
With the award secured, the Qalali Folk Band has dedicated their achievement to HM King Hamad, the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahraini people reaffirming their mission to share Bahraini art and strengthen the nation’s cultural identity across the globe. This win puts the band at the forefront of Bahrain’s folk-art revival, reinforcing how deeply heritage and innovation can blend. In short: a local band rooted in tradition is now shining on the world stage.
So Proud!
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