Regions

Covering Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, and Gulf states; sawt, leiwah, and traditional Bedouin and coastal music forms.

Baul mystical folk music, Bhatiali river songs, and a shared Hindustani heritage with Bengal.

West Bengal

Distinct musical culture encompassing Rabindra Sangeet, Baul folk tradition, and the Vishnupur gharana of Hindustani music.

Dutar, doira, and the classical maqam traditions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; Kazakh dombra and Kyrgyz manas epic singing.

Guqin, pipa, erhu, and the vast regional traditions: Kunqu opera, Cantonese music, and the Beijing zheng school.

Gamelan orchestras of Java and Bali, kecak choral music, angklung bamboo ensembles, and the diverse musical cultures across 17,000 islands.

Persian classical music (dastgah system), tar, setar, and santur traditions with deep influence across the broader region.

Maqam al-Iraqi, one of the most developed vocal maqam traditions; home of the joza fiddle and rich urban classical music.

Intersection of Mizrahi, Sephardic, and Arabic musical traditions alongside diverse immigrant musical cultures.

Koto, shakuhachi, biwa, gagaku court music, noh and kabuki theatrical music, and the shamisen tradition.

Kerala

Home of Sopana Sangeetam, Kerala's own classical tradition, alongside Carnatic music and unique percussion ensembles like Panchavadyam.

Jeongganbo notation system, gayageum, haegeum, pansori vocal tradition, and nongak farmer's percussion.

Heartland of Hindustani classical music; home to the major gharanas of Agra, Jaipur, Kirana, Patiala, and Delhi.

Continuation of Hindustani music via qawwali and khayal; major traditions in Lahore and the Punjab heartland.

Punjab

Source of Punjabi folk music, bhangra, and the Patiala gharana. Shared cultural heritage with Pakistani Punjab.

Rajasthan

Rich desert folk tradition: Manganiyar and Langa communities, Mewar and Jaipur court music, and the sarangi tradition.

Pin peat court music of Cambodia, piphat of Thailand and Myanmar, kulintang gong music of the Philippines and Malaysia.

Home of Carnatic classical music, with major centres in Chennai, Mysuru, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Krishna-Godavari delta.

Sinhala and Tamil musical traditions; Carnatic influence in the north, distinct folk forms across the island.

Ottoman makam tradition, saz, ney, and the rich Anatolian folk music landscape.

Chaabi, Rai, and Kabyle Berber traditions; a distinct branch of the Andalusian classical tradition (Sanaa).

Forest and savanna traditions: likembe thumb piano, Baka polyphonic singing, and the great Congo Basin musical heritage.

Taarab coastal music, Swahili song culture, Ethiopian highland traditions, and the horn of Africa's diverse musical forms.

Taarab music of Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Dar es Salaam: a synthesis of Arab, Indian, and African traditions.

Centre of Arabic music: maqam tradition, tarab style, and the legacy of Umm Kulthum and Mohamed Abdel Wahab.

Unique pentatonic modal system (qenet), begena lyre, masinko fiddle, and the ceremonial music of the Ethiopian Orthodox church.

Highlife, Kpanlogo drumming, fontomfrom royal drums, and the diverse musical traditions of Akan, Ewe, and Ga peoples.

Rich balafon and kora tradition; Bala Faséké lineage and the Conakry school of West African classical music.

Home of the Mande jeli (griot) tradition, kora virtuosos like Toumani Diabaté, and the desert blues of Tinariwen.

Home of Gnawa spiritual music, Andalusian classical music (Al-Ala), Amazigh folk, and Chaabi pop.

Jùjú, Afrobeat, Highlife, and traditional Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa musical forms; birthplace of Fela Kuti's Afrobeat.

Sabar drumming, mbalax, tama talking drum, and the spiritual music of the Mouride Sufi brotherhood.

Mbira (thumb piano) of Zimbabwe, Zulu isicathamiya choral tradition, South African township jazz, and Afrikaner boeremusiek.

Broad region encompassing the griot tradition, kora, balafon, djembe, and the roots of much of the African diaspora's music.

Andean folk music of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile: charango, quena, zampoña, and the huayno and yaravi genres.

Samba, Bossa Nova, Forró, Baião, Choro, and the vast musical diversity of Afro-Brazilian and indigenous traditions.

Reggae, Calypso, Steelpan, Dancehall, Zouk, Kompa, and the diverse Afro-Caribbean musical cultures across the islands.

Son Cubano, Rumba, Danzón, Cha-cha-chá, and Timba: a rich synthesis of African and Spanish musical elements.

The Indigenous nations of North America — from the Arctic coast to the Gulf of Mexico — represent hundreds of distinct musical traditions, each inseparable from language, land, ceremony, and community. This region encompasses the contiguous United States, Canada, and Alaska.

Mariachi, Son Jarocho, Corrido, and the diverse indigenous and mestizo musical traditions across Mexico's regions.

Complex asymmetric rhythms, polyphonic singing (Georgia, Albania), brass band tradition, and the meeting of Ottoman and Slavic musical cultures.

Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Breton traditions: uilleann pipes, fiddle, harp, and modal song forms.

Klezmer, Romani (Gypsy) music, and the rich folk traditions of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, and Romania.

Flamenco of Andalusia, Portuguese Fado, and the deep Moorish-influenced musical heritage of Spain and Portugal.