Hamza El Din (1929-2006) was a composer, musician, teacher, and vocalist from Toshka, Egypt. During his youth, he worked as an engineer for the Egyptian National Railway before deciding to study music. He began his studies at Cairo University and continued it at Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Rome). The instruments he focused on were the oud--a lute-type string instrument--and the tar--a single-headed frame drum. His performances in Egypt attracted attention in the United States, and in the 1960s, he emigrated there to continue his career. During his lifetime, he held a variety of teaching positions in the field of ethnomusicology at institutions including Ohio University and the University of Washington.