The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is located in South Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran, and also bordered by China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Afghan music is influenced by the classical music traditions of India, Persia, and Pakistan. Musical instruments include rubab (lute), a long-necked folk lute called dutar, saranda (bowed lute), the long-necked dambura lute, and tabla drums.
The rubab, a short-necked double-chambered plucked lute with sympathetic strings, is considered to be the national instrument of Afghanistan. From the late 19th century a distinct style of art music was developed in Kabul based on genres derived from Hindustani music, the lareh (multipart instrumental piece) and the naghma-ye klasik, the classical instrumental piece. The rubab was usually accompanied by the tabla drum pair, introduced to the Kabul court in the mid-19th century by musicians such as Gamu Khan, from Kasur, near Lahore. (Source: Asian Music Centre)
For decades, Afghanistan has experienced war and the intransigence of fundamentalists. After the Taliban reclaimed power, music was banned. Many musicians were forced to stop playing music or go into exile. For example, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music moved to Lisbon, Portugal.
Afghan Music Books
Music in the Mind: The Concepts of Music and Musician in Afghanistan by Hiromi Lorraine Sakata (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2002)
Music in Nuristan: Traditional Music from Afghanistan by Christer Irgens-Moller (Aarhus University Press, 2009)
Afghan Music Recordings
Anthology of World Music: The Music of Afghanistan (Rounder Records)
The Rough Guide To The Music Of Afghanistan (World Music Network)
Afghan Music Resources
The original http://afghanistan.wesleyan.edu website is now available at markslobin.com
Afghan Music performers
Aziz Herawi
Daud Khan
Heart of Afghanistan
Homayun Sakhi
Khaled Arman
Ustad Mohammad Omar
