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Tahtib (Egyptian Arabic: تحطيب, romanized: taḥṭīb) is the term for a traditional stick-fighting martial art[1] originally named fan a'nazaha wa-tahtib ("the art of being straight and honest through the use of stick").[2] The original martial version of tahtib later evolved into an Egyptian folk dance with a wooden stick.[3][4] It is commonly described in English as a "stick dance", "cane dance",[5] "stick-dancing game", or as ritual mock combat accompanied by music.[6] Nowadays, the word tahtib encompasses both martial practice and performance art. It is mainly practiced today in Upper Egypt. Tahtib is regularly performed for tourists in Luxor[7] and Aswan.[8]
The stick used in tahtib is about four feet in length and is called an asa, asaya, assaya, or nabboot. It is often flailed in large figure-eight patterns across the body with such speed that the displacement of air is loudly discernible.