Circles of God: Frame Drums and Ritual Soundscapes in the Middle East

This thesis examines the frame drum as a central instrument in ritual practices across the Middle East, focusing on how it operates within ritual niches—distinct spiritual and socio-cultural settings that give instruments their meaning. Through case studies including Sufi dhikr ceremonies, Kurdish rituals, Yazidi Qawwal performances, and the Fjiri music of Gulf pearl divers, the project explores the varied roles of the frame drum across devotional and communal life. Rather than engaging in detailed musical or technical analysis, the study emphasizes how the instrument mediates relationships between memory, theology, and embodiment. It argues that frame drum practices are shaped by regional histories of cultural contact and exchange, and that their divergent uses across communities reflect broader patterns of transculturation within ritual life. By highlighting understudied traditions and cross-regional connections, this thesis contributes to a fuller understanding of how frame drums help structure spiritual experience and ritual authority within the Islamicate world.