This is the Oldest Recording of the Lebanese National Anthem

Here’s a blast from the past to start off your day. We just found the oldest recording of the Lebanese National Anthem from 1928!

The recording was posted by Heritage and Roots, a platform founded by historian Charles Hayek who has a passion for sharing Levantine history. The platform breaks down complex historical concepts, presenting them in engaging ways to ensure that the broader public can connect with history on a personal level.

You can listen to the recording here:

Poet Rashid Nakhleh penned the Lebanese National Anthem, while famous musician Wadih Sabra composed the music. The oldest existing recording, made in 1928 at Baidaphon Studios in Berlin, features Jewish Tunisian artist Marguerite Habiba Msika.

Read more about Baidaphon Studios, one of the oldest locally owned recording studios in the Middle East, here.

In the caption of his post, Hayek also addressed the claims that composers stole the melody from the Rif Republic. According to Hayek, these claims are baseless. He explained that the Rif Republic, which existed in Morocco between 1921 and 1926, never had an official anthem. The confusion likely stems from a Moroccan documentary from the 1950s, which features the melody of Lebanon’s anthem in footage from 1959.

Enjoyed listening to the oldest recording of the Lebanese national anthem? Make sure to check out the #Did You Know? section on our website.