The Music of Ramadan: Temcid, Munacat, and Enderun Tarawih
As part of the Kenan Center Ramadan Conversations, this upcoming event welcomes Prof. Dr. Emre Ömürlü for a rich and focused exploration of Ramadan’s musical heritage. Hosted by Dr. Zehra Tülin Değirmenci and Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya, the session centers on the devotional sound world of the holy month and offers audiences a valuable opportunity to engage with forms that have long shaped the spiritual and aesthetic atmosphere of Ramadan nights.
Scheduled for 14 March 2026 at 16:00 Istanbul / 9 AM Boston, the program approaches Ramadan music not simply as repertoire, but as a living cultural memory. Through the themes of temcid, munacat, and Enderun tarawih, the event invites viewers to reflect on how music, devotion, tradition, and collective feeling meet within a refined and enduring artistic heritage.
Event Focus
This upcoming conversation explores key forms of Ramadan music through their history, meaning, performance practice, and cultural significance within the devotional nights of the holy month.
AN UPCOMING CONVERSATION ON THE SONIC WORLD OF RAMADAN
Ramadan has always carried a distinctive musical and devotional atmosphere. Beyond fasting and prayer, the holy month is also remembered through forms of sound that deepen contemplation, shape communal rhythm, and give voice to spiritual longing. Temcid, munacat, and Enderun tarawih stand among the most refined expressions of this tradition, linking liturgical practice with poetic language, musical knowledge, and inherited modes of worship.
This event is designed for audiences interested in Turkish music, Islamic devotional culture, ceremonial performance, and the relationship between sound and sacred time. By combining scholarly depth with performance-oriented reflection, the program presents Ramadan music as both an artistic legacy and a lived spiritual vocabulary that continues to resonate across generations.
KEY EVENT DETAILS
Framed within the Ramadan Conversations series, this session offers a carefully structured look at forms that are central to the sacred and aesthetic soundscape of Ramadan. It is positioned as both an educational and cultural event, giving readers and viewers a strong editorial entry point into a subject that is historically rich and spiritually layered.
Event Title
Ramadan ConversationsThe Music of Ramadan: Temcid, Munacat, and Enderun Tarawih
Date
202614 March 2026
Time
Dual Time Zone16:00 Istanbul / 9 AM Boston
Format
Talk and Musical ReflectionA conversation with historical, cultural, and performance-based insights into Ramadan musical forms
MEET THE SPEAKER AND HOSTS
The program gains its depth from the meeting of expertise, cultural framing, and musical understanding. With Prof. Dr. Emre Ömürlü as the featured guest and Dr. Zehra Tülin Değirmenci together with Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya as hosts, the event creates a well-balanced structure in which performance tradition, historical knowledge, and cultural interpretation come together in a cohesive way.
Prof. Dr. Emre Ömürlü
Drawing on his deep expertise in traditional Turkish music, as well as his extensive experience in performance and education, Prof. Dr. Emre Ömürlü brings a comprehensive and refined perspective to the devotional music of Ramadan.
Dr. Zehra Tülin Değirmenci
As a host of the session, Dr. Zehra Tülin Değirmenci contributes musical and cultural framing that helps audiences situate the discussed forms within the broader sound world of Ramadan.
Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya
Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya supports the session’s interdisciplinary scope by linking devotional music, cultural memory, and the lived experience of Ramadan through a wider cultural studies perspective.
“Ramadan music preserves not only melody, but also a spiritual atmosphere shaped by memory, devotion, and refined expression.”
WHAT THE PROGRAM WILL EXPLORE
This upcoming event is structured around three major forms that illuminate the soundscape of Ramadan in distinct yet interconnected ways. By focusing on temcid, munacat, and Enderun tarawih, the session presents Ramadan music as a repertoire of devotion that is also a repertoire of memory, education, and ceremonial refinement. For a blog-style event page, this thematic section forms the conceptual center of the content and defines the program’s intellectual value.
The discussion will move between history, meaning, cultural setting, and performance tradition. This balance allows audiences to appreciate how these forms functioned within religious life while also understanding why they continue to matter as elements of Turkish musical heritage and spiritual culture.
Temcid
A closer look at temcid as a devotional vocal form associated with sacred time, spiritual invocation, and the distinctive atmosphere of Ramadan.
Munacat
An exploration of munacat as a poetic and musical form of intimate supplication, reflecting the inward and contemplative dimension of Ramadan nights.
Enderun Tarawih
A discussion of Enderun tarawih as a refined liturgical and musical tradition that combines prayer, recitation, and aesthetic discipline within a distinguished ceremonial framework.
History and Cultural Meaning
The program examines how these forms developed historically and how they came to occupy a meaningful place in the devotional culture of Ramadan.
Performance Examples from the Repertoire
Audiences will encounter references to performance excerpts that reveal the expressive range and spiritual atmosphere of this distinguished musical tradition.
The Music That Shapes Ramadan Nights
A wider reflection on how devotional music contributes to the emotional, ceremonial, and sacred character of Ramadan evenings.
WHY THIS UPCOMING EVENT MATTERS
The devotional forms discussed in this program are familiar to some and nearly unknown to others, yet they belong to a musical inheritance of remarkable depth and beauty. This event matters because it brings them into clear focus and treats them as serious cultural forms rather than background elements of religious life. It opens a space where audiences can listen with greater awareness and understand with greater precision.
It also broadens the Ramadan Conversations series by presenting music as an essential dimension of sacred experience. Through this lens, Ramadan appears not only as a month of observance, but also as a carefully shaped world of sound, memory, and spiritual refinement that continues to inform cultural life in meaningful ways.
WATCH, FOLLOW, AND EXPLORE MORE
This section strengthens user engagement by connecting the event page to the wider Kenan Center ecosystem. In a well-structured upcoming event page, resource links do more than provide access; they create continuity between the current event, archived content, and future institutional programming.
- Kenan Center YouTube Channel: Subscribe and watch the program
- Fall Semester Lecture Series 2025: Access previous videos
- Eventbrite Events and Trainings: Learn more about events and trainings
- Official Website: The Kenan Center for Turkish Cultural Studies
- Instagram: Follow The Kenan Center on Instagram
Suggested Hashtags
#thekenancenter #arzueylulyalcinkaya #musiki #ramadan #sufimusic
JOIN THIS UPCOMING RAMADAN CONVERSATION
If you are looking for a program that combines devotional culture, musical history, and spiritual atmosphere within one carefully framed discussion, this session offers a strong and memorable opportunity. It invites audiences to rediscover the sacred soundscape of Ramadan through forms that continue to carry reverence, beauty, and cultural depth.
Experience the Sacred Soundscape of Ramadan
Join the Kenan Center Ramadan Conversations and explore how temcid, munacat, and Enderun tarawih continue to shape the spiritual memory of Ramadan nights.
Watch on YouTube