With hearts heavy with sorrow and souls burdened by loss, the Cultural Council of Ajaltoun mourns the passing of the legendary artist and thinker Ziad Rahbani, sharing this grief with the Lebanese people and the Arab world. His departure leaves behind a legacy beyond measure, a pain beyond words, and a memory that will never fade.
In Ziad’s passing, we are not merely bidding farewell to a musician or playwright—we are losing a living conscience, an authentic voice, and a steadfast stance that never wavered.
A Voice for the Marginalized and Forgotten
Through his bold theatrical works, Ziad Rahbani unveiled the unseen face of Lebanon—the Lebanon of the marginalized, the forgotten, the dreamers, and those who laugh through pain. He didn’t just write scripts; he reshaped public consciousness. His characters were not mere symbols but living, breathing beings who spoke the people’s language and cried out their pain.
Redefining Lebanese Music
Ziad redefined the Lebanese song by blending jazz, classical, and Oriental melodies. He forged a voice uniquely his own—writing, composing, and singing in a tone weary yet sincere. He did not seek admiration, but he commanded respect. His music was an intimate dialogue with the homeland, with the self, and with the other, where melody intertwined with thought, and harmony merged with conviction.
Spiritual Depth in Hymns
In his hymns, Ziad was more than a composer. He was a contemplative seeker, probing the mystery of faith and the beauty of prayer as a deeply human act. He infused sacred music with artistic and philosophical depth, merging sanctity with simplicity and intimacy with profundity. His hymns served as a bridge between earth and heaven, between man and God—always authentic, never artificial.
Ajaltoun’s Tribute to a Kindred Spirit
In Ajaltoun, where nature embraces history and art meets spirituality, we have long found in Ziad Rahbani’s works a reflection of our cultural and human values. Here, where ancient churches rise and poetry and music echo through the hills, his hymns resonate like our prayers, and his theater mirrors our anxieties and dreams. Though he never resided in Ajaltoun, he has always lived in its soul.
A Nation in Mourning
In this profound loss, the Ajaltoun Cultural Council extends heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Fairuz, the mother and eternal muse, to the esteemed Rahbani family, and to all those who loved Ziad and felt him a part of their own identity. We mourn for ourselves, and for Lebanon, which has lost one of its truest, bravest, and most insightful voices.
Ziad is gone, yet his presence lingers—in every play we revisit, every song we whisper, and every prayer we chant in his style. He taught us that art is not a luxury, but a necessity for awareness, freedom, and love.
May he rest in peace, and remain alive in the memory of the nation and in the hearts of all who believe that words can indeed change the world.
