Tahtib: The ancient Egyptian martial art that turned into a folk dance
by Shahinda Abdalla
Tahtib is a stick-fighting marital art that originated about 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt as a method for training soldiers for combat. Since then, it has evolved into a performance art and folk dance that is practiced mainly in Upper Egypt in the governorates of Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan. It is associated with the Saeedi community (rural population of Upper Egypt). The word tahtib is derived from the Arabic word hatab which means ‘branches of dry trees’. The stick used in tahtib is an essential part of the combat art. It reflects both the symbolic significance of the stick in the social life of rural communities and is regarded as a sign of masculinity. The stick is a tool that has helped support man over millennia; from helping to lift him and maintain his balance as he walked the earth to helping man pick fruits that are far from his reach to helping him with cattle grazing and becoming a symbol of the shepherd’s authority over his own herd. And during times of conflict, the stick became a weapon used by man to defend himself against any threats. The stick used by each player for tahtib is about four feet long (130cm) and is called asa, asaya, nabboot or nabut depending on the local dialect spoken.
Engravings at the Abusir necropolis showing scenes of archery, wrestling, and stick fighting (Image Credit)
The earliest recordings of tahtib are from the fifth Egyptian dynasty of King Sahure (2600 BC) found in a vast necropolis from the Old Kingdom in Abusir which is located in the southwest of Cairo. Some reliefs and paintings on the Sahure Pyramid show detailed illustrations of military training with a stick, archery and wrestling. Near the city of Minya too, drawings of tahtib scenes can be found on three of the thirty-five tombs of the Beni Hassan necropolis (XI-XII dynasties, 1900–1700 BC). More evidence of the practice of tahtib is found on another archeological site called Tell el Amarna (XVIII Dynasty, 1350 BC) located about 60 km south of Minya.
As a martial art, tahtib helps to develop one’s physical and mental agility. Though it can be very technical, it is rhythmic too which means that tahtib is accompanied by music, originally with a drum and in modern times, the mizmar instrument (oboe) is often used. Historically, tahtib was practiced by everyone and not specific to any particular social group or class. The practice of tahtib was not limited to the ancient Egyptian era but in fact continued to be practiced all throughout Egyptian history carrying itself forth into the Roman as well as the Islamic eras in Egypt where it began to be depicted more as an entertainment art during holidays and weddings. Although tahtib is a fight between two people, the event is collective and gathers players, musicians and the audience together in a circle. Dance is used as an introductory phase of the tahtib fight and has become a ritual that all tahtib must begin with.
Image of two ancient Egyptian men practicing tahtib on an ostracon displayed in the Louvre Museum (Image Credit)
In contemporary times, the dance form of tahtib has become mainly associated with marriage ceremonies, the return of the pilgrims and Mulid (feasts of saints). Originally performed by men, later women also began to participate in the tahtib performances, either dressing up as men or in the form of a dance called ra’s el assaya (dance of the stick). The use of the stick in traditional dances has found its way into cabaret performances and some bellydancing routines (ra’s sharqi). Inspite of the dance form of tahtib being extremely popular amongst certain rural communities and part of the Egyptian folklore that often tourists get to experience on their travels to Luxor or Aswan, tahtib as martial art was rather absent from the culture and seldom practiced until recently thanks to Adel Boulad who has been reviving the martial art globally and already hosting what is now called Modern Tahtib tournaments in France. His mission is to get it into the Olympics one day.