A little over 100 years ago, the Sultan of Zanzibar sent his court musicians abroad to study. They returned, and taraab was born.Popular in the ethnically diverse cosmopolitan cities of coastal East Africa, such as Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Dar Es Salaam, this music is a spicy blend of Arabic, Indian, and African musical styles. The songs of this genre, almost always about love, are sung in the melodious language of Swahili.