Sayed Darwish
The folk song has origins in the Eastern Mediterranean region of the Ottoman Empire, but the original author of the song is not known. There is evidence that the folk song was known to Arabic musicians, Greek rebetiko musicians and Jewish klezmer musicians by the 1920s. The claim in some sources that the tune derives from the song "Bint Misr" ("Egyptian Girl") written by Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish is thought to be incorrect.