The Rebab
This stamp highlights the Rebab, an ancestral bowed string instrument which constitutes one of the oldest pillars of Tunisian art music, the Malouf. Distinguished by its elongated shape evoking a small boat and its resonance box traditionally carved from a block of noble wood, the Tunisian rebab has only two gut strings which are vibrated using a curved bow. Its nasal timbre, both serious and melancholy, is essential to introduce the Arab-Andalusian musical suites (noubas), thus marking the sonic identity of the country's traditional orchestras.
The instrument is represented here at the heart of a refined architectural decor, leaning against a wall of earthenware tiles (Zelliges) with blue, green and yellow floral and geometric patterns, characteristic of the interiors of the palaces and historic residences of the Medina. This visual framework, completed by a checkerboard floor, underlines the close relationship between artistic crafts and music in the traditional Tunisian art of living. By devoting this program to the rebab, the Republic promotes a precious intangible heritage, making this instrument an ambassador of historical memory and aesthetic refinement which link Andalusian heritage to contemporary national culture.
The instrument is represented here at the heart of a refined architectural decor, leaning against a wall of earthenware tiles (Zelliges) with blue, green and yellow floral and geometric patterns, characteristic of the interiors of the palaces and historic residences of the Medina. This visual framework, completed by a checkerboard floor, underlines the close relationship between artistic crafts and music in the traditional Tunisian art of living. By devoting this program to the rebab, the Republic promotes a precious intangible heritage, making this instrument an ambassador of historical memory and aesthetic refinement which link Andalusian heritage to contemporary national culture.