Muhammad Calligraphy

Pakistan has a rich and varied cultural heritage. Pakistanis celebrate their culture through folk music, dance and festivals. They have a strong appreciation of the poetic and narrative. The country's history comes to life in the splendid architectural details of old mosques and forts. After it became part of the vast Mughal Empire in 1526, the region that is now Pakistan entered a golden age of literature, architecture and music.

Literature

Most Pakistanis, and love poetry generally memorize long poems. A Mushair (poetry reading) in Pakistan can attract hundreds of listeners. Among the classical poets in Urdu, Mirza Ghalib is perhaps the most admired. Ghalib, who wrote the 19th century, is known for his lyrical and spiritual ghazals. Ghazals are the most popular form of poetry in Urdu and Persian.

The official national poet Allama Pakistan ("the Wise") Muhammad Iqbal. He earned the title of poet-philosopher of Pakistan, not only because he was a poet of exceptional talent, but also because he has been active in the politics of his time. In 1930, he called for the creation of an independent Muslim state in the north-west of British India. He writes poetry in Urdu and Farsi and has given academic lectures in English.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz is probably the most loved modern poet in Pakistan. Faiz began writing poetry in the 1950s after a distinguished career as a journalist. His ghazals are primarily concerned with class struggle, rather than the classic themes of love and beauty. A progressive writer, Faiz was also a dissident political and military governments banned his poetry on television and radio. Fraz Ahmad, Muneer Niazi, Parveen Shakir and are some of the other popular Urdu poets of Pakistan.

Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, a Sufi mystic who, in the first half of the 18th century wrote about love and life in Sindh, is the most revered poet of Sindhi language. His poetry is widely recited by illiterate and educated as Sindhis. Khushali Khan Khattak is the most famous poet of the Pashto language. In the 17th century, he wrote poems describing the beauty of women and nature, using military metaphors. The most famous poet of the Punjabi language is Bulleh Shah, the 17th century, whose poetry has challenged the religious orthodoxy. In recent years, news and travel stories have become important literary, in addition to poetry.

Music and Film B

Traditional Vocal Music of Pakistan Pakistani music and culture are influenced by past invaders: Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and Afghans. Until the division of India, the music of Pakistan has been a part of Indian musical culture. Consequently, the instrumentation is strongly Indian, but the rhythms, scales repertoire of songs, and art represents a unique synthesis of these different musical cultures. This is an example of Geet dholak, a type of folk song sung by groups of women or girls who celebrates village life in Punjab state of Pakistan. "Dholaki Geet" Folk Music of Pakistan (Cat. # Folkways FE 4425) (p) 1951 Smithsonian / Folkways Recordings. All rights reserved.

Develop

The tradition of classical music in Pakistan traces its roots to the 13th century poet and musician Amir Khusru, who composed the first ragas, the traditional rhythmic form. To play the ragas, Muslim musicians invented the sitar, a guitar as a long string instrument, and the tabla, a small pair of hand drums.

Qawwali, a form of devotional songs, arises in the context of Sufism (Islamic religious sect) tradition. This rich vocal tradition is based on melodic and rhythmic free-song-poems and classical musical forms. It is traditionally performed in the shrines of Sufi saints, but today, qawwali singers also perform major secular events. Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has won international acclaim in the late 20th centuri.