Sahar Taha

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Sahar Hadi Muhi Taha

| image =

| caption =

| origin = Iraq

| birth_date = 1957

| birth_place = Iraq

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2018|08|17|1957}}

| death_place = USA

| genre = Iraqi music, Iraqi folk music, Arabic music

| occupation = Singer

| years_active =

| website = {{URL|www.sahartaha.com}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018}}

}}

Sahar Taha ({{langx|ar|سحر طه}}; 1957–2018) was an Iraqi musician and journalist living in Lebanon. She co-hosted the Lebanese programme Banat Hawa on LBC.[http://www.shoofeetv.com/celebrity/29206/sahar-taha Sahar Taha at ShooFee TV] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062441/http://www.shoofeetv.com/celebrity/29206/sahar-taha |date=16 July 2011 }}[http://www.anera.org/ourWork/healthRelief/BacktoRealHealth.php ANERA – "Back to Authentic Nutrition" Festival] She was known for playing the oud in both eastern and western music.{{Cite web |url=http://www.aub.edu.lb/communications/media/localnews/Pages/sep06.aspx |title=Arab Times/Al-Hadaf (Kuwait) |access-date=12 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614020430/http://www.aub.edu.lb/communications/media/localnews/Pages/sep06.aspx |archive-date=14 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Early life and career

In 1984 Taha received a MA in Business Administration in Baghdad, followed by a degree in oud and singing from the National Conservatory of Lebanon in 1989. In addition to her career in music, Taha was a writer for various Arabic and Lebanese newspapers and had been writing for Beirut's daily Al-Mustaqbal since 1999.[http://www.aljadid.com/music/DecadeLaterLaylaMuradStillUnforgettableArtist.html Decade Later, Layla Murad Still Unforgettable Artist] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725090632/http://www.aljadid.com/music/DecadeLaterLaylaMuradStillUnforgettableArtist.html |date=25 July 2008 }} She presented numerous musical programmes in the Arab media and worked for Future TV and ART television stations in the mid-1990s.

Taha served as a judge in musical festivals and programmes across Lebanon and Egypt in 1995, 2001 and 2002.

Since 1997, she was a member of The Professional Artists Syndicate, as well as a member of honor in the Munir Bashir Oud and Traditional Musical Art International Foundation, in remembrance of Iraqi oudist Munir Bashir.

Since 1986 Taha had performed in many concerts throughout the Middle East and Europe; in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Qatar, Algeria, UAE, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, and her homeland of Iraq.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sahartaha.com/eng/eng_inner/cv_2.php |title=Sahar Taha – Musical Concerts |access-date=12 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715223934/http://www.sahartaha.com/eng/eng_inner/cv_2.php |archive-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Personal life

Taha married a Lebanese and was a naturalized Lebanese national. She still had family in Baghdad.[http://beirut.indymedia.org/ar/2003/04/60.shtml Sahar Taha – 200 people join the Memorial for Victims in Iraq and Palestine]

Death

Taha died on 17 August 2018 from cancer{{cite news|accessdate=2018-08-24|title=Décès de la chanteuse irakienne Sahar Taha à l'âge de 61 ans des suites d'un cancer|url=https://tunivisions.net/12091/deces-de-la-chanteuse-irakienne-sahar-taha-a-lage-de-55-ans-des-suites-dun-cancer/#.W3fS-ZJuPNc.facebook|newspaper=Tunivisions|date=18 August 2018}}{{cite web|accessdate=2018-08-24|title=Death of a famous Arab singer after a conflict with cancer|url=https://vaaju.com/uaeeng/death-of-a-famous-arab-singer-after-a-conflict-with-cancer/|website=vaaju.com}} at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, USA.{{Cite web |last=الكويتية |first=جريدة الجريدة |date=2018-08-18 |title=رحيل سحر طه بعد معاناة طويلة مع السرطان |url=https://www.aljarida.com/articles/1534521263339365900 |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=جريدة الجريدة الكويتية |language=ar}}