Deep and soul-stirring, the songs of the late Egyptian icon Umm Kulthum have been played countless times in taxis and coffee shops across the Arab world. Now, thanks to the musical tastes of a pioneering Emirati astronaut, they have found their way to the sterile white halls of the International Space Station.
Sultan al-Neyadi, who is set to make history this weekend after completing the longest ever Arab space mission, has told the Guardian from orbit that he felt a responsibility during the mission to bring a taste of Arab culture to space.
