of malouf, which filled six volumes, and set up The Rachidia, an important conservatory which is still in use. Structure The lyrics of Malouf are based on the qasidah, a form of classical Arabic poetry, and comes in many forms, including the muwashshah, which abandons many of qasidah's rules, , a very traditional form, and zajal, a modern genre with a unique format. The most important structural element of malouf, however, is the Andalusi nuba, a two-part suite in a single maqam (an Arab mode organized by quarter-tones), which lasts about an hour. A nuba is a musical form introduced to North Africa with the migration of Muslim inhabitants of Spain in the 13 and 14th Century. It is divided to many parts :Isstifta7 Msader which are instrumental pieces Then come Attouq and the Silsla which introduce to the poems. The sung pieces begin with the Btaihia: A set of poem composed on the Main mode of the Nuba (there are several Modes in Tunisian music Ispahan Isbaaïn) on a heavily syncopated rhythm called BtaiHi. Then come al barawil, Al khfeiif Al Akhtam which close the nuba. The rhythms grow fast from a component to anthem of the Nuba. Each component of a Nouba has its specific rhythm which are the same in all the 13 Nouba known today. According to legend, a distinct nuba once existed for every day, holiday and other event, though only thirteen remain. Partway through a nuba, an improvisational section was played in the maqam of the following day to ready the audience for the next performance. History The earliest roots of the Malouf can be traced to a court musician from Baghdad named Ziryab. He was expelled from the city in 830, and traveled west, stopping finally at Kairouan, the first Muslim city of great power in Africa. The city was a center for North African (Maghebian) culture and was the capital of the Aghlabite dynasty. Ziryab crossed the Maghreb and then entered Cordoba during a period of cultural innovation among the diverse inhabitants of the region. He became a court musician again and used influences from the local area, the Maghreb, and his native Middle East to form a distinctively Andalusian style. Beginning in the 13th century, Muslims fleeing persecution by Christians in what is now Spain and Portugal settled in cities across North Africa, including Tunis, bringing with them their music. Tunisian