Originally commissioned for the opening ceremony of Cleveland's Ingenuity Festival in 2006, the Symphony for 1000 Drums exemplifies El-Dabh's persona at the interface of classical composition,
Means "fabric of India" in Arabic. In 1930s Egypt, Tafta Hindi was synonymous with silk. Tafta Hindi also became a metaphor for the sumptuous beauty of a kind young maiden. The folksong,