Saidi literally translates as "from Ṣa‘īd" meaning from the highland, upland, or plateaus of Upper Egypt, and more generally "of the land." It it also the name of the music that originates from upper Egypt; there is a singular drum rhythm named Saidi that goes:

dum-tek, dum-dum; tek; dum-tek, dum-dum; tek . . .

My wife is the dancer. I am the drummer and painter. Together we made this moment against the sun atop the dunes of southern California, not Egypt, but the spirit of the sand is the same everywhere.

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