Prior to being adopted as the UAR's national anthem, it was used as a nationalist song performed by
Umm Kulthum during the
Suez Crisis in 1956, known in Egypt and the
Arab world as the Tripartite Aggression, when Egypt was invaded by the
United Kingdom,
France, and
Israel. Due to its lyrics evoking national resistance, the song was played frequently on Egyptian radio during the war, sometimes as often as every 10 minutes. The popularity of the song led to it being adopted as the national anthem of the UAR two years after the establishment of the union. It replaced the former official royal anthem of Egypt "
Salām ʾAfandīnā" (), composed by
Giuseppe Pugioli, as well as "
Nashīd al-Ḥuriyya" (), composed and sung by
Mohammed Abdel Wahab; they were adopted following the
Egyptian revolution of 1952 and the abolition of the monarchy, as well as the former
national anthem of Syria. The lyrics were written by
Salah Jahin, with music by
Kamal Al Taweel. It was also used, without words, by Iraq from 1965 to 1981. It was eventually replaced in 1979 for the
peace negotiations with Israel by President
Anwar Sadat as Egypt's national anthem by the less militant "
Bilady, Bilady, Bilady", which continues to be Egypt's national anthem today. ==Lyrics==