The Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research (AMAR),

The Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research (AMAR), located outside of Beirut, Lebanon, owns 300 wax cylinders and 11,000 78-rpm shellac records of rare music. Collected from Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq, these records constitute the largest sound archive of early 20th-century Arab music in the world. They feature key musicians and their performance practises before widespread commercialization of Arab music substantially changed these music traditions.

AMAR’s Objectives:

Conservation of recorded and printed Arab musical tradition by utilizing state-of-the-art technologies;
Support of academic research and scientific documentation;
Integration of these musical traditions and their practices in educational programs;
Seeking multi-media dissemination and promotion of public awareness of the Arab music tradition.