From the very first moment the sound of the mejwiz is heard, the listener senses that something in the space has shifted. This sharp, powerful sound never passes unnoticed; it asserts itself immediately, awakening feelings of joy and movement within those who hear it. In popular memory, the mejwiz is closely associated with joyful occasions, especially weddings. Many people recall the first time they heard this sound as children, when weddings were held in the village square and the musician stood at the center, blowing continuously into the two reeds of the mejwiz. No one asked about the name of the melody or the maqam; what mattered was the feeling the sound created and the rhythm that brought people together around it. In its simple form, the mejwiz carries a story that goes back to ancient times. Its two bound reeds recall wind instruments known to humans thousands of years ago, when reeds were used in early musical experiments. Over time, the instrument remained present across the Levant, with its making and performance passed down from generation to generation, without the need for musical notation or formal conservatories. Despite its apparent simplicity, playing the mejwiz is far from easy. It requires a special ability to control one’s breathing, known as circular breathing, allowing the sound to continue without interruption. Perhaps for this reason, the mejwiz player holds a special status at celebrations, viewed as the possessor of a rare skill. As time passed and music evolved, the mejwiz did not disappear as many other traditional instruments did. Instead, it found its way into new forms of expression. It entered popular song and accompanied the voices of singers who became known for performing to its melodies, such as Ahmed Al Koseem, Ahmad Al Ali, and Sharhabeel Al Taamari. Through these songs, the sound of the mejwiz reached a wider audience and remained present in the auditory memory of younger generations. In recent years, the sound of the mejwiz has begun to appear in contemporary musical experiments, where it has been blended with rhythms close to trap and rap music. This fusion of old and new has given the mejwiz renewed life, proving that a heritage instrument can keep pace with the present without losing its identity or spirit. Ultimately, the mejwiz is more than just a musical instrument. It is the sound of collective joy, the memory of place, and the story of people told without words. Despite changing times, this sound remains capable of bringing people together, affirming that some things, no matter how simple they may seem, never grow old. Here are four cassettes from our archive that highlight the vital role the mejwiz played in Syrian shaabi music - especially Hourani music - over the past few decades. Ahmed Al Koseem Layali Al Reef (Rural Nights) Ahmed Al Koseem is a shaabi artist from the Houran region in southern Syria. He began singing at popular celebrations during his teenage years, with the mejwiz forming an essential part of his performance from the very beginning. Al Koseem became known for preserving Hourani heritage and presenting it to a wide audience inside and outside Syria, particularly through wedding chants, harvest songs, and local celebratory forms, making him one of the most prominent mejwiz performers in the region. In his cassette recorded in 2008, Ahmed Al Koseem presents his mejwiz performance at a live concert in Al Baqaa, Jordan, performing songs in the traditional Hourani style. The cassette includes an improvisational dialogue centered on descriptions of nature, popular customs, and local celebrations, reflecting Al Koseem’s deep connection to Hourani heritage and his distinctive approach to performing on the mejwiz. Muhannad Naser Mejwiz In this cassette, Muhannad Naser, from Suweida, delivers an outstanding mejwiz performance, presenting his own style rooted in the heritage of Suweida, which differs from the traditional Hourani approach, while maintaining the unified mejwiz sound found across the Levant. The cassette features live mejwiz playing alongside improvised vocal performances that highlight local customs and traditions, demonstrating Muhannad Naser’s skill and his ability to combine authenticity with innovation. This is not limited to this recording alone. Shaabi music in Suweida has long been closely associated with the mejwiz or the yarghoul, as these instruments form the backbone of much of Suweida’s traditional music. This reflects the strong relationship between popular heritage and traditional musical instruments in transmitting local culture and customs. Faraj Keddah Sahm Al Jolan (The Arrow of Golan) Faraj Keddah, from the town of Al Harak in Houran, began his musical career in the late 1980s, using the mejwiz as a central foundation of his shaabi performance. From his earliest local concerts, the mejwiz accompanied him alongside the darbuka and the bagpipes, presenting traditional songs and popular chants associated with weddings, harvests, and local customs. Through this live performance context, Faraj learned rhythm and musical coordination between shaabi instruments, preserving the authenticity of the Hourani style and the importance of the mejwiz as a core element of both sound and rhythm. Over time, and with the introduction of modern instruments such as the keyboards, Faraj succeeded in integrating the mejwiz into contemporary music in a harmonious way while preserving the traditional character of the songs. In this cassette, this integration is clearly evident, as Faraj’s singing is accompanied by a full musical arrangement. The result is a distinctive cassette that represents a transition between the traditional and the contemporary, while maintaining the essence of Houran’s musical heritage. Mohammed Yacoub Houshan, Khalil Houshan and Mohammed Assaf Mulook Al Mejwiz (King's of Mejwiz) When viewed from a heritage perspective, it is clear that those who have remained most closely attached to the mejwiz are the people of the Houran Plain, where the instrument has always accompanied popular celebrations. Shaabi songs were long confined to this local space and lacked a true archive that could reach us today, except through cassette recordings now at risk of disappearance. Among these recordings stands out a cassette that brought together three artists from Houran in a single performance. Throughout the recording, only one sound dominates: that of the mejwiz. Three of the region’s most prominent singers take turns performing over it, without the listener sensing any interruption or shift between their segments.