Arabesque (Turkish music)

Arabesque took shape in the gecekondu neighbourhoods on the edges of the big cities. It blended Turkish folk and classical music with the style of Arab film music, a string orchestra and the bağlama, singing of longing, loneliness, love and fate.

Orhan Gencebay, regarded as the father of the genre, recorded his first big hits in the late 1960s. Singers such as Müslüm Gürses, Ferdi Tayfur, İbrahim Tatlıses and Bergen sold millions of cassettes, and arabesque films filled the cinemas.

Long given little airtime on radio and television, arabesque nevertheless became one of the most-listened-to musics in the country and deeply shaped Turkish pop.