Saim al-Nur was born in Baghdad in 1920 into an Iraqi Jewish family. In 1950 he emigrated to Israel, where he worked as an engineer. In his spare time he composed and performed music for a small circle of friends, but this music became known to a wider audience thanks to the efforts of the Israel Broadcasting Authority Arabic Orchestra. The orchestra also recorded compositions by many other Iraqi musicians resident in Israel, and is largely responsible for preserving this tradition of classical Arabic music.