Enab Baladi, Wasim al-Adawi
“Al-Hijini” in Hauran (southern Syria) and its historic geographic extension is not merely a form of folk singing. It is a full biography of simple people who carried their feelings on the backs of camels and sang of long roads and distant homes. Historically, it was tied to the life of movement in the desert, and to farmers in the alleys of old neighborhoods as they headed to their fields, either to entrust the soil with seeds they had collected over the past year, or to harvest ears of wheat browned by the sun and tended by God’s hand.
According to the folk heritage of Bedouins and people in remote rural areas of the governorates, “al-Hijini” is a “fast rhythm Bedouin or rural poetic text.” At the same time “hajna” is the act of performance, reciting this Bedouin poetry, al-Hijini, aloud. It relies on two lines or more in a repeated rhythm.
The “huda,” meaning camel drivers, shepherds, travelers, or farmers who performed the al-Hijini ritual as they walked, celebrated weddings, traveled, and worked the land, chanted it during work or “the journey to the harvest,” or as caravans moved to ease the hardship of walking on unpaved roads. Over time, al-Hijini became an authentic part of the popular conscience in southern Syria and northern Jordan, especially among the people of Hauran, who gave it a particular, often sorrowful tone, as if coming from a heart that knows the meaning of separation well.
Al-Hijini is marked by simplicity and spontaneity. Its lines are short, but loaded with dense emotion. It does not require complicated musical instruments. The voice alone is enough to carry the story. Often, the singer begins a mournful line about exile, a mother, or a departed beloved, and those seated behind him repeat the last hemistich, as if all were sharing the same emotion.
Al-Hijini of Longing and Departure
Originally, al-Hijini is a poetry chanted to a light Bedouin rhythm. It was often sung while camels moved on long journeys, which is why it is linked to travel and the desert. Among communities in the Syrian Badia, it is said that its name derives from “hajin,” meaning the fast camels ridden on journeys.
“O rider on the noble mount, let it go,
Let longing walk with you wherever it walks,
If you see the home of the beloved, greet them,
Tell them the absent one has not forgotten the pledge.”
With this al-Hijini folk song, Fares al-Mohammad, from al-Samaqiyat in Daraa governorate on the Syria-Jordan border, began his conversation with Enab Baladi about hajna, considered one of the oldest forms of folk poetry in southern Syria. He said this poetic style was born from the life of “pastures” and “plains,” and from the companionship of “horsemen” in the desert, where people passed poetry along during evening gatherings and on the backs of camels and horses.
Hajna remained tied to the spirit of the Bedouins and their simple dialect because it expresses joy, reproach, and pride in words close to the heart and carries the character of the Haurani and Bedouin environment, according to al-Mohammad, who is skilled in this form of chanting. He explained that hajna was traditionally recited in guesthouses during the stages of making Arabic coffee, from roasting to pounding with the mihbaj and boiling in the rakwa over the hearth, when men gathered after a long day of work and herding.
The folk poet conveyed people’s news and circumstances through the verses, which is why this art remained close to the community and resembled the details of its daily life. Al-Mohammad said the hajna poet relies on quick wit and a strong presence because many poems are improvised during occasions and weddings.
He added that the true poet knows how to “pull the line” and respond quickly with words that carry meaning and feeling without affectation or artificiality. This is what gives hajna its special character. He also spoke about hajna’s connection to the life of horsemen and Bedouins, with poems describing the notable figure, generosity, the raising of horses, courage, and chivalry.
Nostalgia, Exile, Love, and Travel
In recent years, interest in al-Hijini has returned through recordings published by young men on social media, in an attempt to preserve this folk heritage from extinction. Some mix it with modern music, while others insist on performing it in its old form to preserve its authentic Arab spirit.
Fares al-Mohammad said al-Hijini is ultimately not just singing. It is the voice of memories and folk heritage in people’s minds, and the language of those who did not write their history in books, “but left it suspended in the air, between a hoarse tone and a line of poetry that says everything in a single moment, about nostalgia, exile, love, and travel.”
He affirmed that Daraa governorate has preserved this folk form across generations, as it remains present in weddings and heritage gatherings to this day. Elderly people still recite old hajna verses, while some young people try to gather and preserve them.
Hajna is not just poetry, but part of the memory of southern Syria, because it documents dialect, old customs, and the details of simple life. Al-Mohammad said this art carries the spirit of the close community and the samer evening gathering, and reflects the image of Haurani society in its spontaneity and authentic values.
Why Hajna Remains Close to People
Perhaps what distinguishes al-Hijini most is its sincerity. It does not strain for eloquence, but is born from direct experience. Al-Mohammad listed examples: “A shepherd missing his family, a mother waiting for her son, a man standing at the grave of a stranger far from his land.” For that reason, al-Hijini has remained close to people despite changing times, as rural councils and popular evening gatherings still preserve its place.
This Bedouin folklore extends beyond the Badia of al-Sham. It is known across Bedouin areas in Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, and carries many meanings of wisdom and simplicity.
According to its poet, Fares al-Mohammad, hajna needs more attention to folk poetry and its documentation, because preserving it means preserving part of the region’s history and heritage, so that the words of the desert and the voices of poets remain present in the memory of future generations.
Al-Hijini in a Book
One of the most important modern sources that addresses al-Hijini as an old Bedouin art is the book “The Art of Al-Hijini in Bedouin Singing: A Study and Texts,” by researcher Mahmoud Mufleh al-Baker. The book affirms that al-Hijini is among the most prominent forms of Bedouin singing and poetry in the Arab desert, and was directly linked to the life of herding, travel, and camel chanting.
According to al-Baker, al-Hijini spread through the Badia of al-Sham and the Arabian Peninsula as an oral art expressing love, nostalgia, pride, and complaint. Its precise historical beginnings are difficult to determine, but it is rooted in old Bedouin culture.
This reference summarizes the “life story of al-Hijini,” noting that it was often performed while traveling on camels or in moments of solitude in the desert. This made it close to the “Bedouin conscience” and expressive of the daily experience of the desert person, more than a written text or an elite art.
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