Welcome to Syrian Cassette Archives – an initiative to preserve, share and research sounds and stories from Syria’s abundant cassette era (1970s-2000s). We invite you to explore and immerse in the many sounds and images of the digitized cassettes as you navigate the site in Arabic or English. In our Features section, you’ll find specially produced audio, visual and written works developed by the SCA collective and its collaborators, including interviews with musicians and producers from the era, curated audio features and written contributions from a variety of writers and researchers. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to learn about updates, special features, events and more.

The growing collection features an overview of musical styles from Syriaʼs many communities and neighbors, including Syrian Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds and Armenians, as well as Iraqi cassettes and music from Iraqi’s that had been displaced by sanctions and war. Amongst the tapes are recordings of live concerts, studio albums, soloists, classical, childrenʼs music and more, with special focus on the regional dabke and shaabi folk-pop music, performed at weddings, parties and festivities.

At the heart of the site’s initial collection are hundreds of cassette tapes purchased at music shops and kiosks throughout Syria by producer and archivist Mark Gergis during multiple stays in the country between 1997-2010. The tapes weren’t originally collected with intentions of a comprehensive public archive. Instead, they reflect a period of personal research and curiosity, aided by connections made with local music shops, producers and musicians in Syria during the time. Since its inception in 2018, the SCA team of collaborators and producers has grown, with the breadth and scope of the project continuing to expand. As well, hundreds of additional cassettes and digitized cassettes have been received from contributors and collaborators.

The rise of the cassette medium in Syria transformed the country’s musical landscape — quickly providing a platform for many musicians across the country that had not previously had the ability to record or distribute their work. Between the 1980s and early 2000s, the majority of Syria’s recordings were issued solely on cassette, making it the de facto medium for local, regional and national recordings. Cassette imports and exports between Syria and neighboring countries also transformed cultural exchange and awareness in the region. Syrian musicians and musical styles that rarely travelled beyond their own locales began to attract interest further afield. For regional folk and pop musicians, cassette recordings of performances at celebrations helped boost visibility, expand their reach and keep them in demand for hire. A number of tapes featured here fall under this category. Many had short shelf lives, and weren’t reissued when digital formats began usurping cassette production in Syria. To date, the stories of these artists and their musical work have seldom been told.

Since 2011, longstanding musical networks and traditions have been violently disrupted by war and displacement. Many creators and producers fled the country, while others were forced to seek safety away from their hometowns. As a result, the status and safety of Syria’s recorded repertoire and its makers is also in question. The effects of time and war, compounded by rapidly-shifting recording technologies, have impacted the ways in which Syrian music is produced, consumed and remembered.

It is urgent that the contemporary musical heritage of Syria and its various communities be cared for and preserved. Syrian Cassette Archives contributes to this through the digitization of this musical repertoire and making the digital collection freely available online, as well as through its recorded interviews with the musicians and producers from the era who were part of its story. Through collaboration with Syrian communities globally, SCA documents sounds and memories of a musical history that cannot be overlooked and should not be forgotten.

Syrian Cassette Archives

Design & Development

Collaborators

Previous Collaborators

Production Partners, 2020-2022

Previous Funding

AFAC (Arab Fund for Arts and Culture)

Gwärtler Stiftung

Hauptstadtkulturfonds Berlin

Special Thanks

Cassette Contributions

Disclaimer