Portrait Hall — Umm Kulthum

Two icons in one frame — Umm Kulthum with the Lebanese star Fairuz, Beirut, 1967. The Nationalist Era · 1952–1967

At a formal reception in the 1960s, in the dark glasses that became part of her image. The Nationalist Era · 1952–1967

A Delta childhood — the young Umm Kulthum beside her father, the mosque imam who first taught her to chant. The Early Years · 1898–1923

Performing in 1939 — a rising radio star whose monthly broadcasts already stilled the streets of Cairo. The Radio Golden Age · 1934–1952

Mid-performance before the orchestra, 1950s — a qanun player at her side, caught by a LIFE photographer. The Nationalist Era · 1952–1967

The handkerchief raised mid-phrase — the gesture audiences waited hours to see, in her later years. The Late Monumental Years · 1967–1975

In full command on the Rabat stage, 1968 — the magenta gown and the ever-present handkerchief that marked her tarab, her orchestra behind her. The Late Monumental Years · 1967–1975

Among the artists and composers of Cairo's musical world, 1940s. The Radio Golden Age · 1934–1952

With Riad al-Sunbati and his oud — the composer of “Al-Atlal” and much of her greatest repertoire. The Nationalist Era · 1952–1967