What is reyhani? The night music of Midyat

In Midyat the music of the sıra gecesi is called reyhani. The name comes from basil, and locals explain it through the “good scent” the evening is meant to leave behind.

The instruments

The core is the divan saz, the darbuka and the kaval. Some ensembles add a cümbüş, a bağlama or a clarinet. The percussion is decisive: the way reyhani lifts its tempo slowly is built on the rhythm underneath.

Why it ends in a halay

Reyhani pieces usually open heavily, settle into the sung section and accelerate towards the end. That three-stage shape exists to get the listener out of their seat. The halay forming in the middle of the evening is not an accident; it is the logic of the repertoire.

What the lyrics say

Most of the repertoire is in Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic, and Syriac melodies are heard as well. Like Midyat itself, reyhani belongs to no single language. The words are mostly about separation, exile and love; the slower pieces carry traces of the long-song tradition.

Where to hear it

Reyhani is incomplete on a recording; its real place is a live performance in a courtyard. At Konak Baypark a fixed ensemble plays every evening. Having the same musicians matters: they know the shape of the night and choose the next song by reading the room.