Taranasaz biography examples
Ahmad Zahir
Singer, songwriter and composer
For the Afghan cricketer, see Ahmad Zahir (cricketer).
Musical artist
Ahmad Zahir (Pashto/Dari: احمد ظاهر; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer. Dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan. The majority of his songs were in Dari followed by Pashto, with a few in Russian, Hindi and English.
Zahir recorded at least 14 studio albums before his abrupt death on his 33rd birthday in 1979. His music blended folk music, Persian literature, Indian classical music and Western pop and rock styles. Among Afghans, he is considered an icon of Afghan music and is widely regarded as the single greatest musician of all time, posthumously reclaiming immortal fame due to his contributions and influence on music in Afghanistan. He has also become an icon of peacetime pre-war Afghanistan.
Early years
Ahmad Zahir was born on 14 June 1946 (Jauza 24, 1325 of the Jalali calendar) in Kabul, Afghanistan, to an ethnic Pashtun family from Laghman Province. His father, Abdul Zahir, was a royal court doctor who served as Minister of Health followed by Prime Minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972. He was a speaker of the parliament and an influential figure in King Zahir Shah's era who helped write the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan. Ahmad Zahir had an older sister, Zahira Zahir, who would later be known as the hairdresser of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and others.
Career
Zahir attended Habibia High School in Kabul and formed "the amateur band of Habibia High School" including Omar Sultan on guitar, Farid Zaland on congas, and Akbar Nayab on piano. Zahir played the accordion and sang. They performed locally during public holidays su The story of Afghan singer Ahmad Zahir is inseparable from events that shaped the modern history of Afghanistan. Knighted by Western media as the “Afghan Elvis,” Zahir rose to fame in the late 1960s and early ’70s, just as television and radio brought together Afghans of all social strata and tribal allegiance for the first time. A colorful performer and outspoken public figure, Zahir’s popularity peaked at a moment when his country was coming tantalizingly close to mending longstanding ethnic, religious and linguistic divisions. His Dari (Persian) lyrics connected with listeners due to its raw, expressive style, as did a fiery live ensemble featuring Western trumpets and electric guitars and led by Zahir himself on harmonium. In life, he transmitted Afghanistan’s rich musical heritage to the rest of the world across an extraordinary 30 albums. In death, he remains an inspirational figure in Afghanistan, his legacy growing more potent over time as the country slipped in and out of silence. Born June 14, 1946, Zahir had a privileged upbringing in Kabul during a time when the city was considered one of the most liberal places in Central Asia. Women could be seen sporting stylish Jane Fonda haircuts, and Western clothing styles weren’t unusual around the city. In a 2009 interview with Afghan TV channel PUL, Ahmad’s sister Zahira spoke of their father Dr. Abdul Zahir’s early influence. A respected physician in the Royal Court, and the prime minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972, he helped write Afghanistan’s constitution in 1964 and was committed to modernizing his country. Zahira says the progressive, open-minded spirit the elder Zahir fostered in the family was crucial in shaping his children’s destiny. Ahmad Zahir pursued a life in music from a young age, forming school bands and performing at large, state-organized concerts and parades around Kabul for national occasions such as Afghan Independence Day. Cultivating Elvis-like sideburn Translated from the Farsi by Farhad Azad, Summer 2024 My daughter stood by the window in the kitchen. I chopped onions, and she watched the snow fall with her round eyes. From her gaze, I realized that she was enjoying the spectacle of the delicate snowflakes falling gracefully, majestically toward the ground. The sight of the snow falling enchanted her. She grabbed my hem and said: “Who makes it snow?” Reflexively, I answered: “Angels.” She didn’t understand, so I continued, “Each snowflake is an angel coming from heaven to earth.” She asked: “What is an angel?” I said: “An angel.” It had been a few days since my daughter turned four. In her mind, she had a relatively clear understanding of angels. She had looked at pictures of angels in illustrated books that I had difficulty finding with some effort for her. A beautiful and magical being with white wings— wide-eyed and hesitant, she asked: “And does each snowflake have an angel that brings it down to the ground?” I said: “Yeah.” Next to the window, she couldn’t see the snowfall very well. She ran at once and brought cushions, stacked them on each other, and stood on them. She grew taller, pressed her face against the window, and watched the snowfall, awestruck. She was silent. With difficulty, I opened my eyes, still burning from the onions, and gazed towards my daughter. It seemed to me that she saw a lovely and mystical creature with white wings descending towards the ground with each snowflake. It seemed to her that the space was filled with beautiful and enchanting life forms with white wings as if they each had embraced the snowflakes in their arms. My daughter turned her face and questioned: “Can’t we see the angels?” I said: “No.” Then she said: “I wish I had white wings and could bring the snow down. How fun!” And then she giggled. From the giggling, I felt joy. As I was dicing onions, I stepped back twenty-five years. I remember tha This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2022) The music of Afghanistan comprises many varieties of classical music, folk music, and modern popular music. Afghanistan has a rich musical heritage and features a mix of Persian melodies, Indian compositional principles, and sounds from ethnic groups such as the Pashtuns, Tajiks and Hazaras. Instruments used range from Indian tablas to long-necked lutes. Afghanistan's classical music is closely related to Hindustani classical music while sourcing much of its lyrics directly from classical Persian poetry such as Mawlana Balkhi (Rumi) and the Iranian tradition indigenous to central Asia. Lyrics throughout most of Afghanistan are typically in Dari (Persian) and Pashto. The multi-ethnic city of Kabul has long been the regional cultural capital, but outsiders have tended to focus on the city of Herat, which is home to traditions more closely related to Iranian music than in the rest of the country. Under the rule of the Taliban, both from 1996 to 2001 and again when they took power by force in 2021, music has been considered prohibited. Since their resurgence to power on 15 August 2021, Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have implemented a strict ban on music, particularly at weddings, social gatherings, and on radio and television. Additionally, there have been reports of Taliban forces destroying musical instruments, such as an incident involving the burning of instruments in late July 2023 in Herat Province. Main article: Pashto music Main article: Muslim music The Afghan concept of music is closely associated with instruments, and thus unaccompanied religious singing is not considered music. Koran recitation is an important kind of
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