Music Behind the Bars

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is thrilled to announce an extraordinary evening of live music featuring former Syrian prisoners of war Hassan Abd Alrahman, Asaad Shlash, Faraj Birkdar, Kesra Kurdi, Ibrahim Byrakdar, Haitham Alkatreb and Adnan Hassan. These seven musicians will perform the live in concert on March 22nd, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, located at 310 W Master St. Philadelphia, PA.

Thirty years ago, a group of political prisoners formed a band inside the cells of Syria’s notorious Sednaya Prison—dubbed the “Human Slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International in 2017—to resist the oppressive noise that deepened their suffering. Using makeshift instruments crafted from food scraps, clothing threads, and other prison materials, they whispered and played their songs in secret. For the first time, 34 of these songs were documented through Eylaf Bader Eddin’s research on Sijniyya, a newly coined term for Syrian prison songs within the country’s cultural field. Now, decades later, several of these musicians have reunited to perform live, using replicas of the instruments they originally built in prison. This concert sheds light on the resilience and creative resistance that emerged within Syria’s prison system. Davidson College and its community are invited to witness this extraordinary U.S. premiere, followed by a discussion. Al-Bustan will provide an Iftar Dinner prior to the musical performance.

Cost: Tickets are $50, with a sliding scale option of $20 to enhance accessibility. Student tickets are available for $15. Purchase tickets here.